Chapter Text
“Honestly, Daniela, I don’t get it. This is the third incident this month.”
Greg kept talking, but by this point, Dani had stopped listening, around the time of the incident.
The tiny office already smelled like burnt coffee and old paperwork, and the longer he talked, the more the headache behind her eyes made itself known.
Across from her, Greg rubbed at his forehead dramatically like he was the one having a difficult day.
Please.
Heather had screamed at Lisa for almost five minutes straight because the poor girl accidentally spilled applesauce on her shoe.
Applesauce as if she’d dumped acid on her instead, and the worst part was that nobody said anything.
Everyone just stood there pretending not to notice while Lisa tried not to cry in the middle of the kitchen. If that were her, she’d want someone to help her; she understands what it feels like to be stuck in that kind of situation.
Dani’s jaw tightened again just thinking about it.
“I mean, I understand Heather can be difficult sometimes…”
Difficult, that was one word for it, but cruel felt more accurate.
Greg kept talking while Dani stared at the faded motivational poster hanging crookedly behind his desk.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK.
Yeah. Sure.
She still didn’t understand how Heather kept getting away with treating people like garbage. Actually, that’s a lie; she knows exactly how, just like everyone in this grocery store does.
Greg liked Heather way too much ever to fire her. I mean, the dude was married! Guess that didn’t matter to him.
Dani, unfortunately, knew far more about that situation than she ever wanted to, thanks to overhearing one deeply traumatic conversation in the break room a few weeks ago.
Some things should honestly stay private.
“…Daniela?”
Dani blinked.
“What?”
Greg sighed heavily.
Not a tired sigh, more like annoyed, as if she was personally inconveniencing him by existing.
“I said this just keeps happening. Every time there’s some kind of problem, you involve yourself.”
Apparently, basic human decency counted as involvement now.
“She made Lisa cry.”
“And it wasn’t your business.”
Dani stared at him for a second.
Wow. He couldn’t be serious?
“Right,” she muttered.
Greg leaned back in his chair with another exhausted sigh.
“Look, Daniela… I think it’s best if we just let you go.”
For one second, Dani genuinely thought she’d heard him wrong.
“…Wait. Seriously?”
“I can’t keep cleaning up these messes.”
The sentence settled heavily in the tiny office.
This wouldn’t be a problem or a mess if he just got rid of Heather. Part of her wasn’t even surprised that something like this was happening again. This always happened eventually. Dani couldn’t help it that she cared too much and reacted too fast.
People liked that about her right up until it became inconvenient. Dani isn’t one to just sit there and take it. Even after she feels so embarrassed, it’s like her skin is on fire.
Something frustrated and tired twisted in her chest as she stood, grabbing her bag from beside the chair.
“Alright,” she said quietly.
Greg looked relieved immediately. This definitely set her off after everything.
He’s happy that this is easy for him?
That annoyed her more than anything, and Dani draped her bag over her shoulder before turning toward the office door.
Her hand wrapped around the handle.
Now or never.
Slowly, she turned back around.
“You know,” she said, “people would probably respect you more if you actually acted like a manager.”
Greg frowned immediately, and Dani shrugged.
“I’m serious. Your employees can’t even trust you when something actually matters.”
“Daniela”
“And maybe stop letting Heather treat everyone like crap just because you think she’s hot.”
It went silent after she said that, then Greg’s face turned red instantly.
Ooooo yeah, so worth it.
Dani smiled tightly and then, before he could respond, she pulled open the office door and walked out.
Fast, very fast.
There she went running her mouth, but once the words landed, she felt the heat because confidence during confrontation was temporary, and the adrenaline crash afterward was forever.
By the time she made it halfway down the block, the cool evening air finally hit her properly.
Despite everything, a laugh slipped out.
“Oh my God,” she muttered to herself.
The look on Greg’s face.
Yeah, that part was worth it.
As the laughter faded, reality settled back in.
Right, she just got fired. There went another job and another lecture from her mom about “thinking before speaking.”
Dani shoved her hands deeper into her jacket pockets with a sigh.
She just didn’t understand how people could watch someone get treated badly and say nothing. Maybe that made her difficult, or maybe it made her stupid, but just watching it happen felt worse.
Dani glanced up absently while turning the corner toward her street.
Then slowed slightly.
A small thrift store sat tucked between two older buildings, its small wooden sign said OPEN.
Mmmm, that feels different, weird.
Has this store always been there?
The closer she walked to it, the smaller it seemed, and older too. Like the building had been missed while the rest of the town kept moving around it.
Dani slowed near the front window, squinting slightly at the faded lettering painted across the glass.
Half the lights inside looked off. It looked like it was closed, but the sign did say open. Has this place always been here? She could’ve sworn she walked this route all the time.
For a second, she considered just continuing home. She was exhausted emotionally, physically, and not only that, but she needed to find a way to explain to her mom what exactly happened.
She didn’t need to waste time spending money she obviously doesn’t have.
The store looked warm and quiet, something she could definitely use right about now.
Suddenly, the idea of going straight home and thinking about Greg’s stupid face for the rest of the night sounded unbearable.
So before she could talk herself out of it, Dani pushed open the door.
A bell chimed softly overhead, and the smell hit her first.
Old books and something faintly floral underneath it all, like the owner tried using a spray to cover the smell of dust. The inside of the shop was dim, lit mostly by old lamps tucked between crowded shelves and stacks of mismatched furniture.
Everything looked slightly forgotten.
Not dirty exactly, but just old. Like every object in the store had belonged to somebody once.
Which technically it had.
“Evening, dear.”
Dani looked up quickly.
An older woman sat behind the front counter near a lamp, half-hidden behind a stack of books. She wore large glasses low on her nose and smiled politely when Dani glanced over.
“Oh, hi,” Dani answered automatically.
The woman nodded once.
“Take your time.”
Dani smiled politely back before wandering deeper into the store. From the outside, it looked small, but now that she was standing here, it seemed like it never had an ending.
At first, she mostly just browsed aimlessly. Old picture frames with photos of models. Or are these the people who actually owned the frames? Glass figurines, some big and some small.
The old lady also had a rack of clothes that definitely smelled like mothballs. There were a bunch of books covering tons of bookcase shelves. Nothing really caught her attention.
Still, the quietness of the store felt strangely comforting after the disaster of her shift. There was no yelling, no fake customer service voice, and no Greg.
Dani trailed her fingers lightly across the edge of a shelf before turning down another aisle.
Then she spotted what she assumed was the music section.
“Ooo,” she muttered immediately. “Now THIS is it.”
Rows of vinyl records sat stacked together in old wooden crates near the back wall. This part already felt familiar.
Her mom owns a record player at home; it's older, but it still runs perfectly. Most people probably would’ve replaced it years ago, but her mom loved that thing.
She didn’t have the heart to get rid of it, and who was Dani to tell her to?
Dani used to sit on the kitchen floor as a kid while her mom cleaned on weekends, old records spinning softly through the house while she sang along badly to half the songs. Some of her favorite memories smelled like old records and Fabuloso.
A small smile pulled at Dani’s mouth as she crouched beside the crates.
“Alright,” she murmured, flipping carefully through the albums. “Let’s see if I can find something before this day officially gets worse.”
Most of the records looked worn but loved.
Fleetwood Mac.
Prince.
The Bee Gees.
Then, suddenly, Dani froze slightly.
A familiar cover peeked out halfway beneath another stack.
White suit.
Black shirt.
Curled hair.
Eyes so big they feel like they’re staring straight at her.
“No way,” she whispered.
Carefully, she slid the record free from the crate.
Dust puffed into the air immediately.
Dani coughed, waving her hand in front of her face.
“Oh my God”
The album was filthy. As if it's been sitting untouched for years.
The second she fully saw the cover, she smiled automatically.
“Thriller?” Dani laughed softly while carefully pulling the record free from the stack. “Oh my God, mom would lose her mind.”
Dust puffed into the air immediately, making her cough.
“Jesus,” she said as she coughed.
She waved the dust away carefully before looking back down at the album cover.
This is definitely a find, she had to admit; it was cool.
Michael Jackson was one of those artists who almost didn’t even feel real anymore. Like, somehow, he became bigger than being an actual person.
The way he sang.
The way he danced.
The way he dressed.
He was an iconic, no, not even that, he still is, everybody knows Michael Jackson.
Dani’s mom especially loved him. The record player at home practically lived off old Michael Jackson albums, but you can never have too many.
Dani smiled faintly to herself while brushing more dust carefully off the cover. She liked him, too, though.
One time when her brothers were off from school, and she was home for the holidays, they all decided to learn the thriller dance. She doesn’t even remember how that came to be but it’s one of those memories she looks back on fondly.
She’s not a super obsessive mega fan, but she always felt bad for him, especially the older she got, the more she understood things he went through. Anything like that has to make someone sad and lonely.
Which sucked because he always seemed genuinely kind.
Too kind sometimes.
The kind of person who gave, gave, and gave pieces of himself away until there wasn’t much left. And don’t even get her started on the way people talked about him after he died; that always left a bad feeling in her chest.
As if the world loved him most once he was gone.
Dani traced her thumb lightly over the dusty album sleeve.
“Poor guy,” she murmured.
Then, finally, she tilted the album fully into the light and froze.
There it was, right there, written across the front of the album.
Frowning slightly, Dani leaned closer.
At first, she thought maybe somebody had just scribbled on the cover with a marker, but this didn’t look like an accident; it looked deliberate.
It’s a signature.
Her heartbeat started to go crazy.
“No way…”
Very carefully now, Dani brushed more dust from the cover with her fingertips.
Written in faded ink beneath the signature,
Thank you for staying.
Michael.
Not Michael Jackson.
Just, Michael.
Dani stared at it for a long second.
“…Okay, that’s random.”
If this were real, no.
She thought while shaking her head.
There was absolutely no way this was real. Why would somebody donate this to a random thrift store?
This thing had to be worth thousands, maybe more. There is no way someone would just voluntarily give away a one-of-a-kind album with a personal autograph.
Dani tilted the album slightly beneath the light, squinting harder at the signature.
It looked so real that it made her stomach start to twist nervously.
“Uh…”
She stood carefully, still holding the album.
“Excuse me?”
No answer.
Dani looked toward the front counter.
The old woman was gone.
“…Hello?”
Nothing.
The silence in the store suddenly felt heavier now, too quiet.
Dani frowned and walked toward the counter slowly.
“Miss?”
Still nothing.
She glanced toward the back of the store, half expecting the woman to appear from another aisle, but the shop remained completely still.
There were no footsteps, movement, or even sound. It was too quiet; it was officially getting a little creepy now.
Dani waited another minute near the counter before finally sighing.
“Alright,” she muttered to herself. “I’m not stealing it if I leave money.”
Totally a reasonable thing to do, probably.
She flipped the album over, spotting the faded five-dollar price sticker near the corner.
Five dollars?!
“There is no way,” she whispered.
Still clutching the record carefully against her chest, Dani opened her bag and dug through her wallet.
One five-dollar bill was literally all she had left in cash.
Dani stared at it for a second.
Then looked down at the album and then back at the money.
“So worth it.”
She placed the bill carefully onto the counter.
“It’s fine,” she muttered. “What else would I need 5 bucks for?”
The silence around her felt even stranger after that, like the store itself was listening. Clutching the record carefully against her chest, she headed quickly toward the front door. Dani pushed open the thrift store door and stepped back out onto the sidewalk.
The cool air hit her immediately.
For a second, she just stood there holding the vinyl against her chest while the bell above the door jingled softly behind her.
“…Okay,” she muttered. “That was weird.”
Like genuinely weird. Not in a haha that was weird but funny, more like if I stay here long, I might get kidnapped.
She glanced back toward the shop windows.
The lights inside looked dimmer now somehow, as if no one was there to even begin with. Dani frowned slightly before pulling her jacket tighter around herself.
Wait a minute.
Hadn’t it been brighter outside earlier?
She looked up automatically.
The sky had darkened completely now, cool night air settling around the street while headlights glowed faintly in the distance.
Dani blinked.
“…What the hell?”
It couldn’t have been THAT late already.
She could’ve sworn she’d only been inside the shop for maybe twenty minutes, maybe thirty max. A little shiver crawled up her arms. She looked around the street, and it seemed so empty; there was no one in sight.
Okay. Nope.
Time to go.
“You’re tired,” she told herself firmly while starting down the sidewalk again. “And unemployed. That’s enough drama for one night.”
Honestly, her feet were killing her anyway.
The longer she walked, the more the normal sounds of the city slowly started to come back to her. Cars were passing, distant music, someone laughing somewhere across the street.
It seemed like everything was back to normal. But every few minutes her eyes drifted back down toward the vinyl tucked safely beneath her arm.
Thank you for staying.
Such a strange thing to write on an album, maybe he was thanking someone for staying a fan?
If it was real, then how did it end up in that shop?
By the time Dani reached home, the weirdness from the thrift store had faded into something softer. Something easier to brush off.
The porch light glowed warmly against the front steps while the rest of the house sat quiet and dark. Everyone was already asleep.
Dani stepped inside carefully, immediately kicking off her shoes near the door before slipping into her chanclas lined up beside the wall.
Instant relief.
“Oh my God,” she whispered dramatically. “That was something."
The familiar smell of home wrapped around her almost immediately. Fabric softener and food. The faint scent of the candles placed throughout the house. It brought her comfort after everything that went down.
Dani hung her bag carefully on one of the wall hooks near the entryway while still balancing the vinyl carefully against her side.
Then, she headed quietly toward the kitchen.
There was only one light on.
The small oven light cast a soft, warm glow across the counters while the rest of the kitchen stayed dim and peaceful. Dani spotted the foil-covered plate sitting on the stove.
There was a sticky note placed on top in her mom’s familiar handwriting,
Eat.
Love you.
Dani smiled automatically.
No matter how old she got, her mom still knew exactly when she needed to be taken care of. Even after it seems like she’s disappointing everyone all the time. The guilt hit quietly, but soft enough to ignore for now.
Dani shook her head gently before setting the vinyl carefully onto the counter.
“Okay,” she murmured. “Food first. Existential crisis later.”
The second she lifted the foil, the smell of enchiladas filled the kitchen.
“Oh, Mom…” Dani sighed. “You’re my favorite person.”
Dani smiled.
A few minutes later, she sat quietly at the dining room table with her reheated plate placed in front of her, one leg tucked beneath herself in the chair.
The house stayed completely silent around her, not a creepy silence like earlier, but peaceful. For the first time all night, Dani finally felt herself breathe properly again.
Her eyes kept drifting back toward the vinyl resting beside her plate. The dust-covered Thriller album looked strangely out of place sitting on her family’s kitchen table.
Like something important pretending not to be, and it was strange, but not scary.
Dani swallowed another bite before reaching over carefully and tracing one finger lightly across the edge of the album cover.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
If that signature was real, her mom would probably faint.
Still, Dani resisted the urge to open it right there. She refused to get enchilada sauce anywhere near something that could potentially be worth thousands of dollars.
“Be patient,” she muttered to herself. “One disaster at a time.”
Eventually, she finished eating, rinsed off her plate, and quietly washed the dishes she’d used. The drying rack beside the sink sat empty except for a yellow coffee mug that she used before her shift.
Normal little things.
After drying her hands, Dani grabbed the vinyl carefully again and headed toward the basement door. The wooden stairs creaked softly beneath her chanclas as she made her way downstairs.
Being the only girl definitely had its advantages.
While her younger brothers fought over upstairs bathrooms and yelled at video games until two in the morning, Dani had quietly claimed the basement years ago. Her own room was literally a safe space; it seemed like she spent most of her time there, and she had her own bathroom.
Perks of being the only girl, exactly the way she liked it.
The basement room glowed softly beneath the warm string lights hanging along one wall while a small fan hummed quietly in the corner. She had a bookshelf that had the most random books from uni, and others she had since she was younger.
Dani nudged the door shut behind herself before slipping off her chanclas near the rug in the middle of the room. She lowered herself onto the floor and placed the vinyl gently in front of her.
For a second, she just stared at it again.
Thriller.
Thank you for staying
Michael.
Her stomach twisted nervously.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Then, she stood back up again.
“Nope. We’re doing this properly.”
Dani disappeared briefly into her bathroom before returning a moment later with a pair of disposable gloves clutched in one hand like she was about to handle radioactive material instead of a record.
She was acting like she was about to become Spider-Man.
Was the gloves thing dramatic, probably.
However, if there was even a tiny chance the autograph was real, Dani refused to be the idiot who ruined a priceless record with greasy fingerprints and leftover enchilada oil.
She dropped back down onto the rug cross-legged before carefully pulling them on.
The second glove snapped lightly against her wrist when she let it go.
“Ow,” she muttered automatically.
Nothing was stopping her now.
For a moment, she just stared at the vinyl sitting in front of her beneath the warm glow of her room lights.
Her stomach twisted nervously again.
This was ridiculous. It was literally just an old record.
Maybe it was fake, but what if it wasn’t?
Something about it felt important.
Dani exhaled slowly before reaching for the album sleeve.
“Alright,” she whispered to herself. “Let’s see what your deal is.”
Carefully, very carefully, she opened the sleeve and slid her fingers inside. The cool, smooth edge of the vinyl brushed against her gloves immediately.
Dani held her breath without meaning to as she slowly pulled it free, like she was handling something fragile and precious. Even though she didn’t fully know why yet.
The record slid out inch by inch beneath the soft bedroom lights until finally Dani blinked.
“…Huh.”
Well, that was anticlimactic, but it also explained the five dollars. The vinyl was broken right in half, so clean that it looked like it was cut.
For one second, she just stared at it in disbelief.
“Oh, come on.”
Her disappointment hit instantly, not a dramatic disappointment but a small deflated feeling when something exciting suddenly becomes ordinary again. For a second there, she’d really thought she’d found something special.
Carefully, Dani lowered the broken half onto the rug beside her.
“Well,” she muttered. “That sucks.”
She tilted the sleeve slightly to pull out the other half, and another piece slid gently into her gloved hand.
At least it wasn’t shattered completely, maybe that meant something? She could get it fixed. Could records even be repaired?
She had no idea.
Dani sighed quietly to herself while looking between the two pieces resting on the rug.
“Guess this is karma for coming at Heather,” she muttered.
She carefully set the empty sleeve aside before pulling off the gloves with a tired huff. Now that the excitement has died down, so have the emotions keeping Dani awake.
The gloves landed beside her on the carpet while Dani stared down at the broken vinyl pieces again. It was still crazy, don’t get her wrong, because it was still signed, but it was also giving off a strange vibe.
She frowned slightly.
The fan humming softly in the corner suddenly sounded farther away.
Dani shook her head at herself.
“You are officially losing it.”
Carefully, she reached down and picked up one half of the record in each hand.
The broken edges faced each other now.
Close, but not touching.
A weird, nervous feeling twisted in her stomach.
Not like before, this felt different; it felt like something was about to happen, and she had absolutely no idea what.
For one second, Dani hesitated, then laughed quietly to herself.
“It’s already broken,” she murmured. “You literally can’t make this worse.”
So, she simply started to move the two pieces together.
The second the edges touched, Everything went silent.
Not quiet but complete dead silence.
The entire world had suddenly stopped breathing.
The fan in the corner humming noise vanished, the creaking house disappeared, and the distant sounds of cars passing by outside were gone.
Dani’s breath caught in her throat.
Then, nothing.
The room sat perfectly still.
As if no one was even there to begin with.
On the rug beneath the warm bedroom lights sat two halves of a vinyl record.
So close together, but no longer touching.
Voices drifted somewhere above her.
Muffled and far away, like somebody was speaking to her underwater.
“…okay?”
Dani frowned slightly against the concrete beneath her cheek.
Wait a minute, concrete?
“…really ate it…”
What are they saying?
Her eyelids felt weirdly heavy.
Everything around her seemed too bright, sunlight pressing warm against her skin even through closed eyes.
Mom?
No, that for sure wasn’t her mom’s voice.
She knows her voice.
Slowly, Dani blinked one eye open.
Bright sunlight immediately stabbed directly into her brain.
“Jesus—”
She squeezed her eyes shut again with a groan.
Okay.
Ow.
Her head felt strangely fuzzy, like she’d just woken up from one of those naps where you accidentally sleep too hard and forget what time it is.
Wait.
Dani’s eyes snapped open.
Concrete, no carpet.
For one horrifying second, she just stared blankly at the sidewalk beneath her hands.
“…What?”
A shadow shifted beside her.
“Hey, easy there.”
The voice sounded clearer now.
Female and young.
Dani slowly lifted her head.
A girl around her age stood nearby staring down at her with obvious concern, one hand holding a cup like you would get at a gas station, while the other hand clutched a large purse against her side.
The first thing Dani noticed was the hair. It was big, absolutely aggressively big. She could have a bug in there and not even know it. The kind of hairstyle that probably required an entire can of hairspray and a prayer.
Big hair, bright makeup, and a jean jacket, it was definitely a look.
“…Uh,” Dani said intelligently.
The woman frowned slightly.
“You alright?”
Dani pushed herself up slowly onto her knees, still blinking against the sunlight while trying to process literally anything happening right now.
Wasn’t it dark out?
“I— yeah?”
Everything felt weirdly foggy.
Not painful exactly, just so off.
Automatically, Dani lifted a hand to the side of her head, checking for blood or swelling; there wasn’t anything, no blood, no bump, nothing. Physically, she felt fine, maybe not completely fine, but just sleepy.
Like her body hadn’t fully caught up to her brain yet.
“You really went down hard,” the girl continued carefully.
“You tripped really badly.”
Tripped?
Dani frowned.
“No, I didn’t.”
“…You definitely did.”
“What?”
“You were walking, and then just” the girl motioned downward dramatically. “Boom.”
Walking?
Dani blinked up at her.
Was she walking?
No, there’s no way, she hadn’t even been walking. She’d been sitting in her room on the rug holding the vinyl.
The vinyl.
Her stomach dropped slightly.
Slowly, Dani looked around.
People moved along the sidewalk nearby, not caring that she was on the floor. Older cars passed in the streets, and the sunlight reflected against storefront windows.
It all looked so normal, but at the same time, something was off. She was outside. How did she end up outside?
Unless her room had suddenly developed traffic and pedestrians, this was all wrong.
“…What the hell?”
“What was that?” the girl asked.
Dani looked back up immediately.
“Nothing! Sorry.” Dani said as she slightly shook her head.
The girl still looked deeply concerned.
Which was fair because Dani probably didn’t look the most put-together right now.
In fact, she most likely looked insane.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Dani continued quickly while awkwardly pushing herself fully upright. “I guess I did just… tripped really bad.”
Someone needs to sign her up for acting class.
The woman winced sympathetically.
“Girl, you faceplanted.”
Wonderful.
“You sure you’re okay?” the girl asked carefully. “You looked knocked out for a second there.”
“I’m fine,” Dani answered automatically.
Then involuntarily shifted sideways.
The girl grabbed her arm quickly.
“Okay, maybe not fine.”
“Nope. I'm good.”
Dani steadied herself against a nearby parking meter before forcing a laugh.
“Just embarrassed.”
“That was a pretty bad fall.”
“I gathered that.”
The girl still looked unconvinced.
Dani brushed nervously at her clothes while trying not to panic.
Something was happening.
After the vinyl when she touched them it did something.
Where was it?
“You sure you’re alright?” the woman asked again. “I can call an ambulance.”
Dani immediately recoiled like she’d been physically attacked.
This lady was crazy.
“Oh, absolutely not.”
The girl blinked.
“I mean, no, thank you,” Dani corrected quickly. “Respectfully. Please don’t do that.”
If there was ONE thing Dani understood, it was that she would never call for an ambulance unless she was bleeding or dying.
Which she wasn't, so it's a win-win situation. Ambulances cost a crazy amount of money, and she's recently unemployed. No way she could afford that bill.
The girl looked increasingly uncertain now while Dani attempted to stand fully upright without swaying side to side.
Unfortunately, the ground tilted slightly beneath her sock-covered feet.
Where were her shoes?
“Whoa.”
“You sure you don’t need help?”
“Nope!” Dani answered immediately while catching herself against the parking meter again.
“Totally fine, I’m alive.”
Which did not sound reassuring at all.
The girl hesitated another second before sighing softly.
“…Alright. If you’re sure.”
“I am,” Dani promised weakly.
Then, after a pause.
“You know where you’re going?”
Dani opened her mouth and closed it immediately.
She had no idea where she was going or where she was. Everything felt weirdly unfamiliar, not dramatically unfamiliar, but she definitely didn’t recognize anything.
It seemed like everything was blurry or she was looking through a screen.
“…Can I ask you something kinda stupid?” Dani said carefully.
The girl laughed softly.
“Depends how stupid.”
Dani looked around again before lowering her voice slightly.
“Where exactly am I?”
The girl stared at her.
“…Excuse me?”
Dani laughed nervously.
“Like specifically. Geography-wise.”
Now the woman looked genuinely worried.
“You’re on Ventura Boulevard.”
That meant absolutely nothing to her.
So, Dani nodded anyway as it did.
“Cool. Awesome, and where exactly is that?”
“…Los Angeles?”
No way.
The girl slowly lowered her head to come to Dani’s level.
“California.”
Dani froze.
“…California!?”
That came out way louder than she intended.
Several people nearby glanced over briefly, and the girl even took one tiny step backward.
Dani became VERY aware that she probably looked like somebody actively experiencing a public breakdown or just on drugs, but neither of those options paints her in a good light.
“Oooookay,” she said quickly, laughing nervously while holding both hands up. “Right. California. Of course.”
The woman kept staring at her cautiously.
“I was just checking.”
“…Checking what?”
How the heck did I wind up in California of all places?
There was a brief silence, like no one knew what to say next.
Dani needed to leave right now.
Before this girl decided she was concussed and called an ambulance, or worse, the police.
“Okay!” Dani said suddenly, laughing nervously while backing away a step. “Awesome. Alright. Thanks for not letting me die on the sidewalk.”
The girl blinked.
“…Sure?”
“Great, bye.”
Dani gave her an awkward wave before immediately turning and choosing a completely random direction to walk in.
Whatever you do, don't run… that won't help your case.
She made it about half a block before pressing both hands against her face.
“Oh, my God.”
What WAS that interaction?
It was sooo embarrassing.
“You screamed in her face for god sake,” she whispered harshly to herself.
So mortifying.
At least she’d never see that girl again.
Probably, hopefully.
Dani groaned quietly and rubbed at her forehead again while continuing down the sidewalk.
Everything was fine.
Sure, she apparently blacked out in public, face planted, and embarrassed herself in front of a stranger, but that wasn’t even the top ten most humiliating moments of her life.
However, she’s in California, which doesn’t make sense because that was nowhere near home.
The streets looked familiar enough to be recognizable as Los Angeles; it was so busy, and there were people everywhere, like they all had something important to do.
Little things kept catching her attention; the cars, the storefront signs, and the way people dressed. It looked like something out of a movie, not everyday life.
Like everybody had collectively committed a little too hard to the retro aesthetic. Maybe there was an event happening.
A film thing?
Los Angeles is big in the film and music industry. Surely they were filming something like a music video happening somewhere.
“Okay,” Dani muttered quietly to herself. “First things first. Figure out how to get home.”
She had a sudden thought, and her hand immediately flew to her back pocket.
“My phone.”
Oh, thank GOD.
Relief flooded her immediately as she yanked it out.
“Yes,” she whispered to herself. “Thank you, Lord.”
Finally, everything was going to be fine.
Dani tapped the screen.
Nothing.
She frowned.
Tapped again.
Still nothing.
“Come on.”
She pressed the side button repeatedly.
Just a black screen, no vibration, and no Apple logo.
Dani stared at it.
“Please, no.”
She hit the button again harder.
Still dead.
“No, no, don’t do this to me right now.”
Her stomach twisted painfully.
This couldn’t be happening. The ONE thing she had on her and it was completely useless. The one thing that connected her to maps, money, people, and home, but it was dead.
Dead or broken?
“Are you serious?” she whispered.
Panic started clawing slowly up her chest now.
It’s fine; this could be fixed. Phones die all the time.
She just needed a charger, and then she could call her mom.
It would be fine.
Her eyes darted around the street desperately.
“Where the hell do I get a charger for free?”
Then, she remembered.
“My bag.”
Dani stopped walking entirely.
No.
No, no, no.
She’d left it at home.
She hung it on the hook that was by the front door because that's what she always did when she got home. It had everything she needed, her debit card, ID, and a charger, everything.
“Oh shit.”
The words slipped out quietly.
Okay.
Don’t panic.
Her breathing started getting shaky anyway. She couldn’t help herself; it seemed like every solution was hitting a dead end.
You’re okay.
This is temporary; everything will work out.
Do NOT cry right now.
People passed around her on the sidewalk while Dani stood frozen for a second, trying desperately to keep herself together.
Then finally, she spotted a small gas station across the street. Do people ask gas attendants to borrow chargers? Well, it's not like she can be picky.
Dani hurried toward it immediately.
The smell hit her before she even reached the door.
Gasoline, hot pavement, cigarette smoke, and something vaguely sour lingering in the air.
“…Ew.”
She pulled open the door.
A bell jingled overhead.
The inside looked strangely old-fashioned, too.
Not ancient, just older.
Bright product signs lined the walls while slightly yellow fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Again, there was that same weird feeling.
Dani frowned slightly, but pushed the thought aside.
One crisis at a time.
A man behind the register looked up from a magazine as she approached.
He was wearing a denim jacket and had a big mustache. It seems he’s very committed to whatever aesthetic this city apparently had going on.
“Uh, hi,” Dani said quickly. “Do you maybe have a phone charger I could borrow?”
The man frowned immediately.
“A what?”
“A phone charger?”
Dani pulled out her phone and held it up.
“You know, for when your phone dies?”
The man stared at the device in her hand for a long second.
Then, slowly looked back up at her.
“…Lady, what the hell is that?”
Dani laughed nervously.
“…A phone?”
Now HE looked nervous.
Not confused, nervous.
Like she’d just walked in speaking another language.
“Okay,” Dani said quickly. “Look, I know this sounds weird, but I really just need help charging it.”
The man’s expression hardened immediately.
“I ain’t got nothin’ for you.”
“No, please, I—”
“And I don’t need trouble in my store either.”
Dani blinked.
“…Trouble?”
“You high or somethin’?”
“What?! No!”
Now panic was fully kicking in.
“No, no, I swear I’m not. I just need a charger, please.”
The man stepped back toward the phone behind the counter immediately.
“I think you need to leave.”
Dani’s stomach dropped.
“Wait— no, please. I’m serious, I just need help—”
“I said leave before I call the cops.”
The word cops hit her like ice water.
Suddenly, Dani became painfully aware of the situation. The man was still watching her cautiously now, hand hovering near the phone.
Dani realized she looked exactly like what he thought she was, confused and rambling nonsense.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Her eyes burned suddenly.
“No, I’m sorry,” she said quickly, backing away toward the door. “I didn’t mean to cause problems.”
“Then leave.”
Dani nodded immediately.
“Okay. Okay.”
The second she stepped back outside, the cool air hit her hard.
For one horrible second, she genuinely thought she might cry.
“What is happening?” she whispered shakily.
Her hands trembled around the dead phone while panic crashed harder and harder against her chest.
She was alone.
Something was wrong, very wrong.
For the first time since waking up on the sidewalk—
Dani was actually starting to feel scared.
After the gas station, Dani tried three more places.
A clothing store, a tiny fast food joint, and a pharmacy.
Every single interaction ended the same way confused looks, suspicious stares, and people slowly backing away from her, as if she might suddenly start screaming. One woman actually clutched her purse tighter when Dani asked to borrow a phone.
A phone, that was it.
However, Dani couldn’t even fully blame them anymore.
At this point, she probably DID look crazy.
Her hair was getting messier by the hour from constantly dragging her hands through it, and her eyes burned from exhaustion.
She didn't even have any shoes on!
The panic sat so visibly on her face now that she could practically feel it.
Out of all those people, not one person helped her. Not one, and that hurt more than she expected.
By the time the sun started lowering properly in the sky, Dani’s legs ached from walking.
The city around her slowly shifted toward evening, the streetlights flickering on, cars glowing beneath the fading orange light, and people were heading home.
Home.
The thought alone made her chest tighten painfully.
All she wanted was home. Her mom’s kitchen, her room, and her brothers yelling upstairs. Anything familiar.
A cool breeze suddenly swept down the sidewalk.
Dani rubbed her arms automatically.
“Mmm,” she muttered quietly. “Not cold yet, but I really miss my jacket.”
Almost immediately, another gust of wind slammed into her harder this time,
SMACK.
Something hit her directly in the face.
“What the HELL—”
Dani jerked backward violently, grabbing at the object before it could fall.
A slightly crumpled paper.
“Really?” she snapped at absolutely nobody. “That’s where we’re at now?”
Her fingers clenched tightly around the paper.
Suddenly, without warning, her whole body started shaking slightly.
Not from the cold, but from frustration and fear.
“Oh my God,” she whispered shakily.
Her breathing turned uneven as she squeezed the paper harder and harder in her fists.
She was alone, nobody believed her, and nothing made sense. She was trying SO hard not to completely lose it.
Dani shut her eyes tightly. One breath, then another.
Slowly, she forced her fingers to loosen around the paper.
“You are not having a breakdown on the sidewalk,” she whispered firmly to herself.
She could feel it, though, slowly making itself known.
With a shaky sigh, Dani smoothed the wrinkled paper open while moving toward a nearby bench.
“…A newspaper?”
That alone felt weird.
Dani couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen somebody carrying an actual newspaper around. Carefully, she unfolded it the rest of the way and sat down heavily on the bench.
At first, nothing really stood out. Just random articles, advertisements, and local news.
Normal, mostly normal.
That weird feeling crawled slowly back up her spine.
Dani frowned slightly and flipped the paper over. Her eyes drifted toward the date automatically, then stopped.
February 14, 1982.
Everything inside her went still.
No.
Her eyes darted back to the date again immediately.
February 14, 1982.
Valentine’s Day.
1982.
Dani laughed once, short and breathless.
“No.”
That wasn’t possible.
There was absolutely no way.
People made fake newspapers all the time for themed events and movies, and her thoughts stopped.
Slowly, Dani looked up from the bench.
The city around her suddenly felt different now. Not quirky or retro different.
Wrong.
The cars, signs, clothes, and hairstyles. The music was drifting faintly from somewhere down the street. All day, there had been little things.
Little moments.
Every single time, she’d forced herself not to think too hard about them because the alternative was insane.
“No,” she whispered again.
The newspaper trembled slightly in her hands now.
This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t.
Dani stood up so quickly the paper nearly slipped from her lap.
No.
She needed somebody else to say it, somebody normal.
A man walked past nearby carrying a briefcase beneath one arm. Just some random guy heading home.
Perfect.
Dani hurried toward him before she could lose her nerve.
“Excuse me— sir?”
The man startled slightly before slowing down.
“Yeah?”
Dani suddenly became very aware of how wrecked she probably looked, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered right now except hearing somebody say she was wrong.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I just— can you tell me today’s date?”
The man frowned slightly.
“…You serious?”
Dani stared at him silently.
Please.
Please don’t say it.
Something in her expression must’ve shifted because the man’s face softened slightly.
“Uh…” He adjusted the briefcase awkwardly. “It’s February 14th.”
Dani’s stomach twisted painfully, but she kept staring at him.
Almost silently begging him not to continue.
Please.
“…1982,” he finished carefully.
There it was.
The world didn’t explode, and nothing dramatic happened. Hearing another person say it out loud made everything inside Dani collapse anyway.
1982.
Not a joke, confusion, or even a concussion. This was real.
Dani pressed her lips tightly together immediately as her eyes burned.
No.
No, no, no.
“Right,” she whispered quickly, forcing a tiny laugh that sounded completely broken. “Of course. Thank you.”
Then, before the man could say anything else, she turned and walked away.
Just fast enough that he hopefully wouldn’t notice the tears sliding silently down her face. All day, she’d kept finding ways to explain things away.
Every single time, she told herself it meant nothing. How were you supposed to explain it away when somebody said it like a fact?
1982.
The number echoed violently inside her head while tears blurred the streetlights around her.
For the first time since waking up on that sidewalk, Dani finally understood something terrifying—
She wasn’t going home anytime soon.