The Story of An Ordinary Girl [PG-13]

Prologue

She wasn't the prettiest girl. She wasn't the smartest, nor the nicest, nor the most popular girl. She was just Catherine, a girl who got good grades, but yet felt dumb. She enjoyed wearing makeup to try to make herself look beautiful, but yet she never felt pretty enough. Catherine didn't have low self-esteem though, she was just never good enough. Guys didn't chase after her at all, and her friends stabbed her in the back so often that she actually felt like there was a knife stuck right in between her shoulder blades. Catherine was just Catherine, but that never seemed to be enough.

I
Catherine woke up that day, wishing that her school wasn't open on Mondays. She got dressed in a simple outfit, a T-shirt and jeans. Catherine put her sandy blonde hair in a ponytail and hair clip, and swiped a few strokes of eyeliner under her eyes. She stuck in her earphones, turned on her favorite playlist, and headed to school through the morning fog.

Once at school, Catherine walked like a shadow through the halls. She was indifferent to most everyone she saw in her path, the druggies that stood by the nearest exits, the jocks that leaned against lockers and talked about their latest hook-ups. She walked monotonously to her private corner, except for the few moments of walking past Lucas, where her breathing accelerated only slightly, before she calmed down. When she got to her corner, her two best friends were there, Cara and Jenny. They waved and smiled, knowing that the volume at which Catherine was listening to her music was at much too high of a decible for her to hear them say their hellos. So at this point, Catherine took off her headphones and slumped to the ground.

"You saw him, didn't you?" Jenny immediately noticed Catherine's said, lovebitten face. Catherine nodded indifferently, her angst too much of a concern for real dialogue.

"Catherine, you have got to do something about this! You can't just pretend like you don't notice him. He probably knows that you like him, so just talk to him."

Cara always sounded so matter of fact, like it was almost too easy to walk up to the guy that you are completely in love with and say, "Hey, I like you, let's go to the movies." But then again, she had been dating Jonathan since the beginning of their sophomore year in high school, almost a year ago. Catherine's last boyfriend was a shy kid who wasn't good around girls.

"I can't, OK? Sure, he's perfect, and of course he knows I like him, but I just can't! Lucas is just Lucas, and our social status' are completely opposite. He is a star basketball player, and I'm a lowly softball player," Catherine explained for about the hundreth time.

"So? He's not exactly popular, I mean, the guys on the basketball team don't even like him, except for Shawn."

While Jenny brought up a good point, she had defeat in her voice. She knew that she was fighting a losing battle, Catherine would never talk to Lucas, unless he talked to her first. Too bad that Catherine couldn't predict the future.

II

Being the first day of school, that day wasn't entirely unpredictable. The teachers spent the period explaining the rules nobody followed, and the students texted and talked freely for the majority of each class. However, Catherine wrote. She enjoyed dabbling short stories in her notebooks, it released any pent up anger as well as the other raw emotions Catherine carried inside. She wasn't even paying attention when he walked up to her.

"Hey, you're Catherine right? I'm Lucas, uh...Lucas Scott."

Catherine just about had a stroke. He wasn't possibly talking to her, was he? There had to be another Catherine next to her, a prettier, more social Catherine. She looked around, but no one was paying attention. There must be a mistake, because she wasn't...

"Your name is Catherine isn't it?"

He spoke again, this time resting his hand on her desk. He had to be talking to her.

But Catherine was too shocked to speak, she just nodded.

"OK. I'm sorry I bothered you," he sounded unsure, which caused Catherine to almost scream. This had to be a dream, because Lucas Scott was a popular athlete, and guys like that never did two things: They never spoke to unpopular nerds, and they never sounded unsure. And yet, Catherine was sure that she heard his voice waver, and she was 100 percent positive that he was talking to her. So as he walked away, Catherine knew that she had to take action.

"Wait," she choked out. Lucas revolved back around to face her. She looked up for the first time, and her heart swelled. She could feel the adrenaline pumping, the moisture creeping into her palms. She felt like her throat was closing. The inability to breathe caused Catherine to panic even more, worsening the situation.

"Are you OK?" Lucas asked. Catherine nodded quickly, and exhaled. She could do this.

"Did you...did you want somethign earlier?" Catherine managed to stutter out.

"Umm...I just wanted to say hi?" Lucas said nervously. Catherine was even more puzzled, the situation was becoming more freaky by the minute. She knew he was lying, so she took another deep breath, and spoke again.

"OK. Hi, I'm Catherine Hart. You probably don't know me--"

"Yeah I do."

"You do, how?"

Catherine was beyond bewilderment now. She was sure that she was going insane, that her mind was decaying, that she had early onset Alzheimer's...

"Ummm..."

The bell rang, and Lucas shot out of the classroom. Catherine was relieved, yet disappointed. She had always been a curious person, and she saw the fear in Lucas' eyes long enough to know that he was hiding something. The strange thing was, he was hiding something about her....

Catherine was still puzzled by her situation when she got to Physics. She sat next to Jenny, and explained the entire story, line for line to her best friend.

"Really, he said he knows you?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how. I mean, I play sports, but he hasn't been to a softball or tennis thing. I'm in Drama, and he may go to the plays, but I'm sure that's not what he meant. Otherwise, he would have said that's how he knew me. He seemed like he knew me personally..."

"I don't know. I mean, maybe he's a stalker....Or maybe he facebooked you...or maybe he's just really good at reading people-"

"Girls, what's so intriguing that it can't wait?" Mr. Shindz interrupted.

"Nothing, I was just asking Jenny if she had heard the latest Fall Out Boy song," Catherine said cooly, although her cheeks were hot with embarassment. Of all of the things in the world, she hated being called out for doing something wrong in class. After all, she wasn't good with getting pointed out. The most social contact she had besides friendships was asking a teacher for the notes from a day she was absent.

"Well, I'm sure this song can wait until after class," Mr. Shindz answered curtly, and proceeded with the lecture. Jenny gave Catherine a quick thumbs up, before they both began to furiously scribble what was on the board.

Catherine was relieved when lunch time had arrived. While she was happy to have survived the first five classes, sixth period couldn't have came sooner. She still hadn't solved the "Lucas Puzzle", but that would all become fresh in her mind after some solid nourishment. So Catherine wasn't expecting to run into Lucas yet again, this time in more of a literal sense of the term.

"I'm so sorry...." Catherine trailed off when she saw with whom she had collided.

Lucas smiled his confident, glittering smile. He seemed to have forgotten all about his actions this morning, so Catherine decided to forget them to, for the time being.

"It's OK, I wasn't paying attention either," Lucas replied. He sounded so kind, that Catherine almost believed that he was the cause of the accident. But that didn't stop her from glancing at the book in his hands.

"Y...you're reading Steinbeck?"

"Yeah? Why do you sound so surprised?"

Catherine was finally in her element. Books were something she could discuss with anyone, even the man she was madly in love with.

"It's just, the only classical book I've ever seen someone read in this school, in there spare time no less, was Huck and Finn. And that's a true classic. But Grapes of Wrath, when I checked that out from the library, there was actually dust collecting on the pages, it had been that long since anyone had touched it."

"That's a shame, because this is a great book," Lucas noted.

Catherine nodded, smiling a little bit. He was so perfect, that the revelation was bittersweet. He loved books, good music, he was kind, athletic, just perfect. But that also led her to believe that he couldn't ever possibly like someone like her, even in some kind of alternate and crazy reality.

But of course, some realities do hold such thoughts.

V

After lunch, Catherine's mind was still stuck on Lucas. She couldn't believe that she could be more in love with him, but suddenly, she felt like she was. It was like a piece of her soul had came to her, and it melded right into her mind and heart. She wasn't sure what to make of this new feeling, but whatever it was, it scared her beyond reason.

Seventh hour math was horror. The whole time, Catherine was staring at the back of Lucas' head, admiring how perfectly his sandy blonde hair lay in rows. She admired how casual yet beautifully he dressed in a smart T-shirt and jeans. She loved every aspect of him, down to his white Nikes. When the bell rang, Catherine was reluctant to leave, she didn't want this moment to fade.

Finally, the last bell rang, Catherine rushed out of eighth hour and out the doors to her car. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before, she was begging that she wouldn't run into him. Fate must've been on her side, because Catherine made it to her car without a Lucas sighting and sped off to her house so she could wind down and listen to music, any music that would stop her heart from beating out of her chest.

Day Two: I

Catherine briefly looked back on the previous day, a smile coming on. She was ready now, and even though she wasn't sure what the day would bring, she could tell it was a good day.

But then, Catherine got to school. She saw Lucas, and her mind lost control to her heart. The palpitations and sweating began, as he neared closer and closer to her.

"Hey Catherine, I was wondering, do you want to maybe go to a movie tomorrow?"

Catherine was surprised at how easily it came out of his mouth, like he had no trouble saying it at all. After the initial reaction, sadness swept over her; Catherine knew he probably had lots of experience in the area.

"Sure, but you pick a movie, I'm terrible at deciding," Catherine said, before screaming at herself. Why would she ever say such a thing. Then again, when she was around Lucas, she lost control of her own voice, and just spoke.

"OK, I'll send you a text a little later, I gotta return the book," Lucas said waving The Grapes of Wrath in the air. Catherine smiled, bid Lucas goodbye, and hurried off to find her friends and share the good news. No, make that the great news.

II

The rest of the day flew by fairly quickly. Although Lucas was in Catherine's seventh hour, the two barely had anytime to talk. He texted her a movie time and that was all, until tomorrow night. Tonight was a football game, and Catherine, being in the good mood that she was, decided to go and cheer on the football team, even though they played poorly.

Once at the football game, Catherine spotted them, what the movie Mean Girls would definitely consider "the Plastics". The leader, Rachelle, wasn't exactly the stereotypical version of amazing. Yeah, she was gorgeous, but she also played basketball and was extremely tall. Then, there was Elma, Catherine's ex-best friend. She didn't really fit into the group and they only used her for her fortune and to round out the threesome. Lastly was Kara, she was never the type to be in the popular crowd, but the fact that she was the prettiest girl in the whole school, and the most talented singer caused Rachelle to take action. As they walked by Catherine, they whispered angrily, presumably about Lucas asking her out. Catherine smiled and waved, "Hey girls!" she said sarcastically before walking to meet Lucas.

"Hey," Catherine said casually. She was a little more relaxed around him, but she still went toward the tendency to flee.

Lucas smiled, and the two took a seat on the cold bleachers.

"So, I haven't been able to ask you all day, is the movie choice OK?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I love comedies," Catherine said with a smile.

"Alright, good. But I don't know, maybe an action movie would be better," Lucas mentioned unsurely.

Catherine shrugged, "Action's alright too," she said nervously. The more she got closer to Lucas, the more she wanted to pull away. It was her own curse, whenever a guy found out she liked them, she avoided that at any point necessary. She hated it, but it was the whole fight or flight scenario, and Catherine had always chosen to run. Hopefully, that wouldn't be an issue with Lucas at the movie...

OOC: My post was too big to post all of it at once, so here's the second half of what I've written thus far

IC:

Catherine was so indecisive and unsure of what to wear. She loved her halter top, but she also didn't want to come off as slutty. Finally, she settled on the dark blue halter with a dark wash jean and her black wedges. She quickly applied her makeup, grabbed a purse, and rushed out the door. She figured that she could walk to the theatre since it was only ten minutes from her house.

As Catherine walked, she had forgotten how creepy it was in her neighborhood at night. Everyone was pretty friendly, but the neighborhood looked like a ghetto, with dark alleys at every intersection and homeless men slurring dirty language at passing girls. While Catherine was used to this, the streets seemed exceptionally eery tonight. And then, Catherine was gone, the streets empty except for the trash blowing across the road and the old men snoozing next to garbage bins.

The leaves rustled through the park, blowing quietly passed the deserted swingsets, the rusted slide. The picnic tables, usually accompanied by bustling pedestrians were also empty, leaving just the trash that sat atop them and the quiet night. However, if you listened carefully, a scream could be heard in the distance, a piercing, sorrowful scream of a girl whose best day had became her worst nightmare in mere moments.

Catherine screamed again, louder and longer this time, until her lungs gave out. A shallow, deep laugh filled the silence.

"They can't hear you. No one can hear you, it's much too deep." A man's whining voice said. It sounded delighted and screechy, like an owl who had just found a meal.

"Someone will come looking for me..." Catherine gasped angrily.

"Oh no dear. You see, you told your parents that you wouldn't be home until past midnight, and by the time they realize that you aren't home, well, we'll be gone. Far from here, you and me. How does the bottom of the Atlantic sound to you?" The voice said pleasantly.

Catherine grunted, struggling to get out of her bondages. She was tied by stiff rope, and everytime she moved she could feel the horsehair cutting into her wrists and ankles. She felt so hopeless, so alone. And to think, a few hours ago she was on her way to a date with Lucas, a boy she had loved for ages, who may have just liked her back....

Lucas
Lucas sat at the movie theatre hopelessly. He was obviously being stood up. But the wierd thing was that Catherine seemed to want to go on the date, but then she didn't come. Lucas sighed and got up, leaving quickly so it wouldn't look like he had waited too long. He supposed that was what happened to people who went after smart chics, the girls always felt like they were better than the guys.

Lucas checked his messages every half hour. He was sure Catherine was the type of girl to leave some kind of message, whether it was a text saying something came up or a long and thought out apology for why she wasn't there. But there was nothing. Finally, Lucas decided to drop her a text. After waiting another half hour, Lucas was puzzled. Catherine usually responded to texts after at most fifteen minutes. Lucas sighed, he couldn't believe that he had been tricked. He had been tricked into thinking that Catherine liked him, and now she was probably sitting at home, laughing about it.

Catherine

Catherine was near tears. She had always been strong enought to hold off tears, but this was different. In her heart, she knew that her kidnapper was right, that no one could hear her screams. Maybe distantly, but no one would think much of it. After this thought, Catherine just let go, and she began to sob.

"Oh, dear girl, don't cry. I'll be with you soon, I promise," the voice said, almost tauntingly.

Catherine broke her sobs, "What?"

The voice chuckled, "Dear me, children these days sure are clueless. What did you think I kidnapped you for, to keep you as a pet? No dear, I have much...different plans for you."

Catherine immediately calmed down. She was praying in her heart of hearts that this voice was thinking what she was almost sure he was.

Shuffling footsteps neared closer, Catherine heard a softer, more devious chuckle as the man came closer to her. Catherine gasped in a breath.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Catherine said angrily.

"Oh, it's much too late for that," the man said.

Catherine began to scream, although from this undisclosed location, no one could hear or know what was going on.

When Catherine awoke, she was laying in the cool grass. Recalling last night, all she remembered was being hit repeatedly, but with what? Her kidnapper had left her for dead, after beating her with his fists and any weapon he could find. Then, he probably dropped her in a ditch and hoped that by the time anyone found her he would be halfaway across the globe. Catherine shuddered again when she recalled that memory, it felt so unrealistically horrid. She could barely move, her legs felt like they had been crushed, and her arms were probably broken. The only thing Catherine could do was scream, and that's all she did. She screamed until her lungs gave out, and then she fell asleep.

The next time Catherine woke up, she found herself in a hospital bed. She winced a little as she opened her eyes, it hurt to blink, breath, and even smell. When she finally did get her eyes open, she saw a man around the age of 20 staring at her curiously. He had tousled brown hair that was windswept into his eyes, which were a crystalite green. His complexion was tan and he had a deep, serious stare on his face.

"Where?" Catherine croaked out.

"You're in a hospital in Washington. Do you remember your name?" The man asked softly.

Catherine nodded, "Catherine...." she started. She couldn't remember her last name, and it terrified her.

"Don't worry sweetie, it'll come to you. I'm Richard Hanes, but you can call me Richie. Found you in a ditch nearby. At first, I thought you were dead, but then I saw you breathing, and I figured I better take you to a hospital. Do you remember what happened to you?"

The man was kind and soft-spoken, his every word ebbing and flowing in a graceful manner. He seemed to be concerned by Catherine's amnesia, but also glad that she seemed alright.

Catherine began to nod, but it hurt so greatly that she only got halfway through.

"That's alright, you don't have to tell me. You get some rest though, see if you can remember your name," the man said, and left the room.

Catherine wanted to cry, but no tears could come out. She couldn't remember where she was from, her last name, almost everything was gone. All she remembered was getting beat severly after being kidnapped. She also remembered Lucas, but she assumed that love never really was a memory that could be forgotten. So, holding onto the thought that she was alive and that she was safe, Catherine slept deeply, hoping that some kind of information would come to her.

When Catherine woke up she felt a little better physically, but was still in emotional turmoil. She had a dream that her and Lucas were on their date when a man in a mask came in and killed Lucas. Catherine was helpless because she was bound to a bed. She awoke screaming, and Richie came in and gave her a glass of water.

"You OK?"

Catherine nodded, "Bad dream."

Richie nodded, "That's bound to happen, but it might give you some memory. Any faces that you recognized?"

"Yeah, one. The one guy was masked but the other guy, he's my....friend," Catherine said hurriedly. She wasn't sure what she was considered according to Lucas, but it didn't matter unless she got back to wherever she was from.

"What was the guy in the mask representing do you think?" Richie asked thoughtfully.

"That guy was the guy who beat me up. I remember it so vividly, he tied me to a bed and beat the crap out of me. I even remember his voice, it was sort of scratchy, but not like he had a sore throat, just like he was...thirsty."

Catherine shuddered as she said the last word. Thirsty was definitely the appropriate word for this man.

"I'm so sorry. I figured it was something like that, I just didn't know that you remembered it so vividly. Terrible thing to happen to anyone," Richie said, shaking his head. Catherine noticed that his fists were slightly clenched and his jaw was set in an angry expression.

"Is this your house?" Catherine asked.

Richie laughed, "Yep, it's not much, but it's good enough," he said casually.

Catherine laughed. It felt good to be happy, even if she wasn't truly happy.

Lucas

Lucas was bewildered. Catherine hadn't answered any of his texts or calls, her friends hadn't seen her, it seemed like she had just dropped off the face of the earth. Of course that couldn't happen though, Lucas had to convince himself. Luckily, he knew someone who could find Catherine, if she had disappeared.

"Stella?" Lucas asked timidly. He couldn't believe that he was waiting for a girl in an alley, a girl who was good at detective work.

A blonde head popped out of the shadows, and Stella Sanders stepped out. She tilted her head to the side as she examined Lucas, looking like she thought he was lost.

"You want my help? Lost a puppy or a favorite teddy bear?" Stella said sarcastically.

"No, a person. You might know her, petite blonde, name's Catherine. She's in our English class. She's missing, and you're going to help me find her, right?"

Catherine slept for the rest of the day, having confusing dreams about an alley and a school. She would be walking down the alley, when suddenly, a dark figure came up. Right before he captured her, Catherine found herself within a school watching herself, a girl who seemed like a loner, just listening to her ipod and writing. Catherine would walk up to the girl to ask her about her life, but before she got an answer, she woke up. This dream kept Catherine from sleeping because she knew she wouldn't get an answer unless she looked for it. So she facebooked all of the people named Catherine, but it left her with over one hundred names, she needed to narrow it down. So Catherine was left frustrated and confused with only Richie, who knew nothing about her old life, to help her.

When Catherine finally got fed up of staying in bed all day, she snuck out at night to get a snack. The pain had been minimal since then, so Catherine assumed that the pain would be minimal when she was walking. She assumed right, and found that the only parts that hurt were her ribs and her right leg, both of which seared with pain whenever she moved or even breathed. Otherwise, Catherine felt fine, and continued her midnight snacking for awhile, until Richie was up waiting for her.

"I was wondering where all my food was going," Richie said.

Catherine laughed, "One of the few things I remember from my life is that I used to love to get up in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep and I would get cookies and milk and sit at the table eating, sometimes writing too. It always seemed to calm me down, make me forget whatever troubled me," she explained.

Richie nodded, "I see. Well, just make sure you turn off the lights and if you feel too much pain, let me know," he said and headed off to bed.

Catherine smiled as he left, Richie was so nice to her even though she was practically a stranger. It was strange, but she even was starting to like having him around and miss him when he was at work...

He dragged his wounded foot along like a dead animal, heaving it as he tried to briskly escape. It was so unfortunate that he had left his car at the house, having a broken foot wouldn't make escape any easier. As he weezed heavily, he was starting to get tired, he pictured what had happened over the last few days. After ditching the girl's body, Igore had left in a hurry, he knew that once the body was found they would look for him. But then he had an idea, maybe he could destroy the body, burn it. Of course, when he went back to retrieve her, she was gone. Alert had coarsed through his veins when a rabid dog bit him, shaking his foot to and fro until he heard a crack. After hitting the dog multiple times, he finally ran away, leaving Igore to think and contemplate. He couldn't take his vehicle, that would be too obvious. So instead, he drove back to his house and began to run from there, leaving him in his present predicament. Why hadn't he just destroyed the body to begin with, now, if the police didn't find him, they would....

Lucas

Stella's face suddenly turned very serious.

"Catherine?" She said nervously.

"Yeah, you know anything?"

Stella shook her head, "N...no, but she was my best friend in grade school," Stella said shakily. She remembered exactly why the two had stopped being friends, and she still blamed herself.

"Well, do you think you can do it? I'll pay---" Lucas started, but Stella shook her head fiercely.

"No, this one's free of charge," she said sternly. A chill coarsed through her veins, if she didn't find Catherine....


Catherine

Catherine awoke the next morning to an empty apartment. Richie had apparently left a note also, saying that he would be back with lunch later. Catherine smiled at how thoughtful he was, and then settled onto the couch, surveying the room around her. She saw a television and a couple of DVDS, but what most interested her was the bookshelf filled with reading materials. Catherine got up and begin to rifle through the books, searching for anything good to read. She finally settled on The Host, a love story mixed with science fiction.

*A few hours later*

"Catherine, I'm home, and I brought Taco Bell," Richie's voice said cheerfully.

Catherine looked up from the book for a second before continuing her reading. She had completely forgotten about Richie....

"I see you found something to do," Richie said, shaking his head but still smiling.

"Yeah, this book is really good," Catherine said before closing it and getting up.

"Soft shell tacos, my favorite," Catherine smiled cheerfully as she grabbed two and settled into one of the two dining chairs.

"Yep, and I got hot sauce," Richie exclaimed.

Catherine laughed, and looked thoughtfully at Richie. He looked different today, his chiseled features seemed more pronounced and he looked...handsomer.

OOC: As I promised Richie, here's the next installment

IC:

After having spent a week at Richie's apartment, Catherine was beginning to forget about her old life. She would read while waiting for Richie to come home, then the two would eat dinner and talk about their days. Richie decided that Catherine should enroll in high school while she was in Washington, which she did.

Catherine quickly learned that the people in Washington were much nicer than those at her old school. Whenever Catherine dropped a book, someone would pick it up for her, when someone sneezed, everyone said "Bless You". Things were so blissful that Catherine was actually beginning to hope that her new life could just be her life.

After yet another day of school, Catherine opened the apartment and stepped inside, where Richie was waiting, a huge grin on his face. Decorations plastered the walls, and Catherine suddenly realized what day it was.

"Halloween! How could I forget, I remember loving Halloween!" Catherine exclaimed gleefully. Richie smiled again and gave Catherine a package.

"I don't remember getting gifts on Halloween," Catherine said, her happy expression now sullen and worried. She knew what was going on, and she didn't like the feeling that was creeping up her spine.

"Just open it," Richie said. Catherine nodded slowly and began to tear off the wrapping paper, revealing a medium sized silver box. Opening it up and peeking inside, Catherine saw a necklace. It was beautiful, a silver chain with a deep sapphire pendant hanging down. Catherine panicked, of course this was bound to happen.

"You do like it, don't you?" Richie said, reading Catherine's face as dislike.

"Of course, I love it, it's just," Catherine began, but the words couldn't come out. The last person she had felt remotely similar about was Lucas.

Richie suddenly connected the dots, and blushed a deep crimson. He sighed and turned around, walking towards the couch before gesturing for Catherine to sit.

Catherine complied, sitting on the couch a short distance from Richie.

"Catherine I like you," Richie started.

"I like you too," Catherine said, unsure whether this was the right thing to do or not.

"I mean, well...I like you as more than a friend," Richie said.

Catherine stopped short, "....Uh.....I think I might like you....more than a friend....too," she stuttered.

Richie smiled and looked Catherine in her eyes, making it seem like he was reading her soul. Then he stroked her face, pushing back a strand of hair. He looked at her again and leaned forward, and their lips touched. Catherine was unsure what she felt, a slow rush of panic mixed with happiness, but she didn't try to stop him. She just let him kiss her, trying to work out her feelings as they continued to rush out of her body.

Finally, Catherine's brain kicked in.

"What are you doing?" it asked. "You have liked Lucas since God knows how long, you can't just forget about him. Fight, remember," the voice inside her said, and Catherine remembered.

Flashback

Catherine, why don't you just go talk to him?

I can't talk to him, he's Lucas Scott, compared to him, I'm nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catherine, do you want to see a movie this weekend?

Sure!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guess you won't be going on that date then, will you?

End of Flashback

And Catherine began to sob. She pulled away from Richie and sobbed, putting her face in her hands.

"Catherine, I'm so sorry," Richie said.

"Please, I have to find Lucas. I can't do this, I'm sorry," Catherine said, and she picked up her bag and walked out of the apartment into the night.

Catherine hadn't realized how cold it was outside until she stepped out the door of the apartment complex. Frigid wind hit her body harshly, causing her to almost rethink her decision and return to the warm apartment. But she couldn't, she wouldn't do that. While Richie had been great to her, it was time that she finally found her old life, not start over.

So Catherine continued walking, briskly travelling along to find the police station. However, a noise caught Catherine's attention, and she began to worry that someone was following her. So she turned around and saw a squirrel skitter through the street.

"Foolish," Catherine said to herself. "No one is following you, Catherine so just relax."

And Catherine did relax and scurried to the police office, not wanting to waste any time in finding her old life.

Catherine rushed into the station and exclaimed, "I need help!"

Four officers rushed to her aide, "What's wrong miss?" they all said in unison.

"I...I have amnesia, I don't know anything about my old life due to being beaten to death. Check the hospital records, my name is Catherine H...Catherine H....dammit!" Catherine exclaimed, she couldn't even remember her last name.

"I know her, this is the one Rich- took home. Sweetie, why aren't you with Richard?" and older officer asked kindly.

"Because I have to find out who I am, where I am supposed to be. I can't pretend to be happy here when the possible love of my life is far away, who knows how far away. God, I dont' know!" Catherine exclaimed and fell down to the floor, sobbing bitterly.

Lucas/Stella

"Where did you last see Catherine?" Stella asked curiously. Lucas shook his head, "School about two weeks ago. We were going to go to the movies and then she didn't show up. At first I thought she was standing me---"

"OH please! Like anyone would stand you up, the basketball boys all hate you because the girls adore you," Stella scoffed.

Lucas sighed, "Yeah, well Catherine's different.."

"Are you serious? Catherine is in love with you! I was her friend for quite awhile and she's loved you since about the sixth grade," Stella said angrily.

"Wow, wonder why you guys stopped hanging out," Lucas noted sarcastically, rolling his eyes annoyed as Stella continued.

"OK, so she went missing two weeks ago. Do you know if she planned to walk or drive to the movie?" Stella asked.

"I don't know. She has a car but the movie theatre is only a few blocks from her house so she probably walked," he said.

"OK, you want to know my opinion? Catherine's not stupid, she wouldn't have stood you up since she's been waiting for ages to go out with you. She also can be a bit naive, she never worries herself with what happens outside. My guess? She was kidnapped and either raped or beaten. She's not very strong but could hold her own, so I'm assuming that we're looking for a skeezy male, probably the kind who would want to freak her out a little. My guess is a creepy white male who spends his days finding girls to play with and then tosses them, leaving them for dead," Stella said bluntly.

Lucas was silent as one thought coarsed through his mind. Dead? Why hadn't her parents reported it, why did no one else care? Even Catherine's best friends just assumed she was sick or something, they said she kept to herself when it came to personal problems.

"Don't get that look. Like I said, I was friends with Catherine and if I know her, she's not dead. She faked it or was unconcious when he ditched her and she is probably somewhere far away from here. If she hasn't came back by now she doesn't know where she is or who she is," Stella said calmly. She hated thinking even for a second that Catherine was dead, but she also hated thinking that she wasn't Catherine.

Catherine

Catherine was of course, embarassed by what she had said. After all, for all she knew, Richie was the love of her life. But she didnt' believe that, because you don't think about another guy while kissing the love of your life. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Catherine thought.

"Well, first things first, we'll check all the databases for possible missing persons that fit your description. And then you need to get a place to stay, but obviously not with Richie. You can stay with Samantha, she's nice and definitely better suited to handle your needs," the officer said politely, and pointed in the direction of a tall blonde. She wasn't ugly but her features didn't stand out, except for her crystal green colored eyes. Everything else was limp, her hair was limp, her skin an olive tone, and everything else was normal. But when she saw Catherine she smiled at her eagerly and walked over.

"Hi, Samantha Davidson here, but you can call me Sam. I guess you'll be coming home with me, and then we can get you some clothes tomorrow, maybe get your hair cut," the woman said politely, her thick Chicago accent flooding into her speech.

Catherine nodded eagerly, she was so glad to have a girl to talk to, finally.

Thanks Burning Rose

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Richie

Richie wasn't sure what to do. He didn't know Catherine well enough to assume her whereabouts but he couldn't stand by and let her disappear forever. So he paced back and forth across the room, wishing he hadn't pushed it. He had known about Lucas from the beginning and now he had lost a friend and possible love. Out of everything in her life, Catherine remembered Lucas. She didn't remember her parents, or her best friend even, but she remembered this guy. That had to be true love and for Richie to try and stand between that was unfair. So Richie decided that he would wait, and if she cared about him enough to come back, she would.

Igore

His foot hurt so bad it felt like a thousand pounds had fallen on it. Everything told him to stop, wait out the pain. But he couldn't because he had a feeling. A feeling that someone was after him, that someone knew what he did. So he continued to limp solemnly, contemplating how he got to this point in his life, beating and killing teenage girls for the fun of it. If only his sister....

Catherine/Sam

"So, whaddya wanna do?" Sam asked nervously, warily glancing at Catherine's expression as the words flowed out of her mouth. She had used them effortlessly on her sister many a time, but her sister and her had not spoken since long ago, almost seven years ago.

"I like to read, but I would rather go get some new clothes, I'm starting to smell funny," Catherine said with a laugh. She liked this girl, she felt so open and honest around her.

"Oh thank God!" Sam exclaimed. "I mean, I know my apartment smells good, usually..."

Catherine laughed. Sam was right, the apartment smelled nice, much better than Richie's. But that wasn't the only thing that made Catherine feel at home, she felt like she had been here before a long time ago.

"You OK Cathy?" Sam said curiously and then clapped her hand on her mouth.

Catherine looked at Sam with utter bewilderment. Cathy definitely wasn't her name, but yet it felt familiar...

D: ONLY ONE COMMENT?! Darnit, I guess I forgot to comment. ;-;

Sorry Christina! Anyway, it's very good, but a little confusing. How many guys does she like? .__.

I'd love to see more from you~~

OOC: Only one, but her lapse in judgement caused her to think of Richie as more than a friend

Thanks for the comments guys I don't have an update at the moment, but I will add one in a few days

Catherine/Sam

Catherine brushed off the feeling of familiarity and eagerly went shopping with Sam. She had always enjoyed shopping in wherever she was from and she was sure that Washington was no different. When they got to the shopping mall Catherine couldn't help but admire it. It was quite tall, about five stories and it had a beautiful sign that said: "Washington Square Mall". The mall itself looked very welcoming and Catherine rushed inside with Sam close at her heels.

Shopping

"First we'll get you some jeans and shirts and lingerie and then we'll move on to accessories," Sam explained. "I have quite a bit of money saved up for my sister but she was supposed to visit a few weeks ago and never called so she'll get over it."

Catherine felt a jolt. She remembered that she had something to do two weeks ago, and she just remembered that she too was supposed to visit her sister who lived...somewhere. The blanks frustrated Catherine but she was glad that things were starting to come back although she wasn't quite sure how or why.

Lucas/Stella

"You guys were supposed to go to a movie, right? Do you think maybe she got called out of town for some reason, I know she has a sister who lives out west, maybe her sister called and she was supposed to visit. After all, the girl has no parents and lives by herself. I don't know how she got granted emancipation, she just turned sixteen in July...." Stella grumbled. She always had a problem with living with her parents and envied Catherine for her freedom.

"Sister? I knew Cat lived by herself but I didn't know that she had a sister. What's her name, maybe we can track her down," Lucas said.

"Hold it, Lover Boy. First we should talk to Catherine's best friends, Jill and Haley or whatever," Stella said. She couldn't care less about what their names were and honestly hated the two posh girls. Both were pretty self-absorbed and rarely helped Catherine with her problems. They probably wouldn't know much but Stella knew that it was better to start with people who had recently seen Catherine than with Catherine's sister who hated Stella.

I'd love to see more of this story Christina. I've been hooked and now I can't wait for more. :]

Although this place is dead/dying, I must continue on
~~~~~~~~~~

Igore

He awoke to the smell of urine and blood. Embarassed that he, a thirty year old man, had wet himself, he stripped quickly and pulled a pair of pants and undergarments out of his bag. With no one on the roads, he easily changed into his new attire and left, leaving the stench of the old ones behind. It was better that he change anyway to avoid being recognized. With one hand on the cut on his bald head and the other on the gash on his leg, he limped off. The next sign said that Raleigh was in two miles, and he knew exactly where he needed to go.

Lucas/Stella

School that day was going to be hard, Stella knew that much. She had always despised Jill and Carrie, or whatever their names were. She also knew the two would be together, thus killing two birds with one stone. When she found them before class began, she took a deep breath and approached cautiously.

"Jenny, Cara, can I talk to you?" she asked timidly. While Stella was normally a courageous person, talking to Catherine's best friends made her strong voice soft and fragile.

"Stella," Cara said monotonously, rolling her eyes before continuing. "What do you need, another pair of jeans," she mocked, looking down at Stella's holey pair.

"Actually, I was just wondering where you got that nose job, it looks great" Stella remarked sarcastically. Just as Cara and Jenny turned away, she pitifully said, "I was wondering if you've seen Catherine lately. She's been gone for awhile, and I thought maybe you knew where she went?" Stella asked.

"Isn't she your ex-best friend? As in, no longer a part or your life?" Jenny asked. While Jenny was seemingly sweet on the outside, she was also a bit bitchier than Cara.

"Yeah, but I just found out some news about her sister that I thought she should know," Stella lied.

"Oh. Well, now that you mention it, she didn't mention a vacay. But she might have just left randomly, she can be a little flighty," Cara said.

Stella gaped at this. Catherine was one of the most stable people she knew, and she never left without telling someone. Some best friends, Stella thought and walked away. Even though she hadn't gotten any help what-so-ever, she knew that there was no way those two bimbos would know what she was talking about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catherine/Sam

Catherine awoke feeling very refreshed, and with a new memory. She dreamt about her parents, a young man and woman at the time, as they held presumably her in her arms. Then, a girl, about seven, screamed viciously.

*DREAM*
"I wanna hold her!!"

The parents quickly put the baby in her arms, and she rocked her side to side.

"Cathy, my Cathy. I promise to always protect you, no matter what," the girl said, looking lovingly into the newborn's eyes.

~~~~~

Catherine didn't know who the girl was, except that she now had a sister. But she quickly shook the thoughts off as she walked to the fridge. She still couldn't get over how much more comfortable she felt at Sam's place. Just then, Sam stepped into the kitchen, her lean, long legs flowing together as she walked.

Sam put her hand on Catherine's shoulder, causing Catherine to leap. She knew that Sam wouldn't hurt her, but she still couldn't shake the fear of being beaten again.

"Sorry...." Sam said quietly.

"s'alright. Are you married?" Catherine asked, noticing the ring on Sam's finger.

"Yeah, newlywed. My husband, Mark Davidson is overseas fighting the war," Sam said proudly. "Did you remember anything new?"

"Yeah, I have a sister. She's seven or eight years older than me, so I guess that would make her 23."

"That's strange...."

"What?"

"My sister's name is Catherine, she's sixteen and I'm 23. We used to be very close, but we had a falling out three years ago because.....well, she had a best friend who came to visit me here, and she solved a case that the police were supposed to solve. Almost got herself killed and she was only thirteen.....Anyways, she was coming to visit and talk, since her and Stella also had a falling out. My point is, she looked a lot like you. But she was emancipated and lived somewhere in the southeast, like South Carolina or Kentucky," Sam said. SHe knew this girl couldn't possibly be her sister, she was so...different. Catherine hated girly clothes, and this girl had bought a lot of them. Catherine also was very dark and loved black, but this girl was quiet but very kind.

"That's eery...." Catherine said. She knew that she had a sister, but she also knew that she wasn't Sam's sister. Sam was so calculated, of course she would know or at least recognize her own sister......wouldn't she?

Yeah, I need to write that better. I meant it as in she didn't really care what their names were, so I'll change that.

I'll add an update soon, but I need to get some more ideas first.

She wasn't the prettiest girl. She wasn't the smartest, nor the nicest, nor the most popular girl. She was just Catherine, a girl who got good grades, but yet felt dumb. She enjoyed wearing makeup to try to make herself look beautiful, but yet she never felt pretty enough. Catherine didn't have low self-esteem though, she was just never good enough. Guys didn't chase after her at all, and her friends stabbed her in the back so often that she actually felt like there was a knife stuck right in between her shoulder blades. Catherine was just Catherine, but that never seemed to be enough.

Okay, I've only just started reading this but I just want to give you some comments on the Prologue. Yes, I'm in a reviewie-type-of-mood. You'll probably see me a lot XD

Instead of "nor" it would sound better if you put "or". "Nor" is generally used when "neither" is in the sentence. E.g.

Catherine was neither nice nor popular.

But and yet are words that imply opposition:

But marks an opposition or contrast, though in a casual way: We are going, but we shall return.

Yet implies that in spite of a preceding concession, there is still a chance for a different outcome: We are going; yet (“in spite of all, some day”), we shall return.

It would sound better to simply use one of them instead of both.

Other than those two things I think it's great! The Prologue is catchy because Catherine comes off as unusual character who's not had a fantastic life and in a strange way it makes you want to read more.

Keep going Christina! ^_^