-Dani's POV-
I just got the news that they put my best friend in jail. I had just got in a taxi heading back to Texas from North Carolina. We were about the cross the state boarder and I was about to switch cabs when I got a call from the John Cena. "Victory got arrested. Just thought I'd let you know."
We all knew she was pushing the line, but she pushed too far and now, she's behind cold bars. "A-Alright." My voice was shaky and fragile. I don't know why I was upset, we all saw it coming, especially me, I was her best friend, or should I say best stranger, after all, "Thanks, John." My eyes burned with tears, I've really lost her, I've really lost the girl who I grew up with and got me through the toughest parts of life. She wasn't dead, but the direction she was going, she might as well be.
I've lost a lot of things in the past few hours, a best friend, a guy I really liked, and practically my whole past. A tear feel on my cheek, if I wanted to cry, now wasn't the time. I quickly wiped away the tear and sniffled a bit to get the sadness out. "Dani," I forgot I was still on a call, I quickly brought myself back to reality, "Are you alright?"
I blinked away the tears and put on a fake smile that I knew he couldn't see, "I'm alright, John. Get back to your life, I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine. I know things aren't sitting well with you." More tears brimmed my eyes, the smile twitched away, but I put it right back. I took a hard swallow and forced myself to speak again.
"John, please, I'm fine." I knew my features seemed happy, but I knew my eyes held sadness. The only person that could have a conversation with me was the taxi driver and he didn't seem up to chat.
"Alright, keep in touch." I nodded and hung up. My smile faded away as I put my phone back in my black satchel purse. I closed my eyes, and the memories flushed back, coming on the road with my best friend to see the world together, meeting the famous WWE superstars, practically falling to my death in the hands of Kane, watching Victory make the wrong decisions and do nothing to stop them. I was a terrible best friend, but I guess now, I'm the perfect stranger.
"Ma'am," I slowly opened my eyes and saw we stopped, how could I not feel that? "This is as far as I could take you. You'll have to get another vehicle to take you where you're going."
I stuttered as I fumbled with the money in my purse, "Uh, T-T-Thank you, sir." I handed him the ride for the trip and I started making my way out of the car, "H-Have a nice day."
"You too," He yelled as I stood on the sidewalk and he pulled off into the road. I had no idea where I was. The grass was tall and yellow almost. The sun's light shined brighter out here, the sky was bluer, too. There weren't many buildings out here, let alone houses. A breeze drifted across the land and the smell of flowers and fresh air drifted. Trees weren't around for hundreds of miles, but they were visable just from standing here. The birds chirped and flew in the sky, everything was calm and peaceful out here, there was nothing stressful or loud. Everything seemed perfect.
I stuffed one hand in my jean pocket and started walking next to the tall grass, brushing it as I went. I had no idea where I was going, but my mind just felt at ease, for the first time in the past couple months, I knew what I was doing. My lungs felt open and clear, like something was sitting on my chest and crushing my lungs, but it's finally been lifted out here. The closest thing to cilvilization was a barn a couple miles in the direction I was heading. Maybe I should call a cab. I got my phone out and looked at my GPS, huh, the middle of Tennessee. We drove farther than I thought.
My parent's home wasn't far from here, maybe they could give me a lift, nah, they couldn't drive through the state of Arkansas and back, that'd be too much for them. Well, looks like I'm gonna be out here for a while and I have to be in Montana by Monday night. Even when Victory's not around, she's still screwing things up.
I continued walking through the Tennessean country side. I felt the wind dance across my bare skin as I still felt the rays of the sun beam down on my skin. A very comfortable combination. I didn't even feel like I was walking, I felt like I was gliding. Ever be in that state of mind, where you can control your actions, but you're not really aware of what's going around you, that's what I felt now. Peace mentally and physically.
A new sound broke the quiet, calm one. It was the sound of an engine running and tires running over black top. It seemed a distance away the way it sounded, didn't seem like it was passing me anytime soon. I wanted the sound to go away, I wanted to get back to the sound of the grass swaying and the birds and animals. But of course, we all can't get what we want, now can we? I closed my eyes and waited for it to pass.
The sound came closer and closer, only a few more minutes until sweet relief. Then, things changed. I heard the veichal at it's loudest point coming up next to me, but it suddenly died down. I opened my eyes and the light rushed in. I turned my head and a sleek, silver 2011 Silverado chevy was cruising slowly next to me. The window on the driver side was up, but I could still tell the driver was looking at me.
I rolled my eyes, can't a girl just walk alone for once? I picked up my pace and I heard the truck's engine rev up, "Pardon me, but I don't believe a pretty lady like you should be walking out here all by yourself." He had a thick southern accent that dripped when he talked, "There's been some bear sightings lately. You should be getting home by now."
I look over at the voice and was stunned by the looks of it's owner. He had a blinding white smile that stood out the most. I couldn't see his eyes, they were covered by the shadow of his cowboy hat. His arm was hanging out the window and his skin was well tanned and muscular. I cleared my throat again so I could speak with authority, "Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl." I brought my voice with a mix of southern like his, but still like my own.
"Well, it seems them bears are bigger." I chuckled a little bit, his smile still shown down on me, "Come on," he patted the side of his truck, "Let me drive ya"
Me? Get in his car? "I'm just gonna walk over there and see what I can find." I pointed to the barn in front of me. He just looked at me and chuckled a little bit, "What?" I asked. He started to laugh like a mad man.
"Miss, you know, that barn there is a good 15 miles away." I stopped walking, 15 miles? I don't even know if I'm going the right direction. I heard the car stop and the parking gauge enact. I looked over at the barn, was it really 15 miles? "Ma'am, I know you ain't from around these parts and you just seem like a lost lil' puppy. I'd be more than happy to take you where you need to go."
I scuffed, "I'm heading to Dallas, Texas and unless you got a private jet, I don't think you'd like to drive me all the way over there."
His smile only got bigger, if that was possible, "It happens to be I'm heading down there as well to look for some work." Wow, what are the chances. I took a moment to think about my options here, I could keep walking and be stuck out here for days and there'd be no chance I could get to Raw on time by a couple of days, but if I go with him, I might be a little late, but I sure wouldn't miss my match and I wouldn't get in trouble with Mr.McMahon. But he's also a complete stranger who could be anything to a murderer to a rapist. Uh, I'll take my chances.
"Alright, I'll take you up on that offer, as long as you don't do anything funny." I warned.
"No, Ma'am, you have my word. Last time I did something funny, I pooped in my diapers." Diapers, huh? I chuckled, the way he said it mixed with his exaggeration was just laughable.
I moved over to the passenger side and I heard the door unlock. He offered me a ride and he didn't think of unlocking the door? I opened the truck door and slid in the seat, "Well aren't you a chuckle."
The inside of his car was clean and organized. The dashboard was clear of dust and trash, the windows were spotless considering all the bugs everywhere, and the floor and seats looked brand new. I was impressed by how clean his truck was, "Yep, just gave this girl a good cleaning." I looked over at him and baby blue eyes met mine. They were a stunning blue, the kind the sky is. His teeth seemed brighter in the car, I didn't even know that was possible. He also had a baby blue shirt that wrapped around his body to show off every inch of muscle he had on his torso and blue jeans. He had stunning good looks to wrap it all up in one package. I realized I was staring when he lifted an eye brow at me, I cleared my throat and readjusted myself in the seat, "The name's Jim, by the way."
"Daniella." He took off the parking and I felt the truck come to life. We sped down the long, empty road without a word. The only sound was the engine. I looked out the window as the fields and fields of wheat and grain flew by.
"So, Daniella," I turned my attention back to Jim, "Why ya headin all the way over to Dallas for?"
I shrugged, "I just gotta pick up a couple a things, then, I'll be heading to Montana."
"Man, that's a lot of travelin," Jim put his right arm on the stand between the two seats and leaned on it as he steered with his left hand.
"It comes with the job." I wasn't lying, WWE moved around a lot, so I was still being honest, but keeping some detail secret. I just debuted and I wasn't expecting anybody to recognize me, except that girl from the hotel, cute kid. The only reason I kept my work a secret, was because I didn't want the disappointment of nobody knowing me. I didn't just do it so I could stay a mystery, I put my own feelings into consideration here, "What are you doing going down to Dallas?"
"Like I said before, I'm just looking for work." I nodded in understanding, economy was tougher year after year. But I thought farmers were rich, "Well, we ain't."
"Excuse me?" I brought my eyes back up to his.
"You just said you thought farmers were rich. Well, we ain't." I said that out loud? I wanted to slap myself, I'm so stupid! "And who said I was leaving because I was poor?"
So he's not leaving because of money? "B-B-But, W-Why you leave to get a job?" I asked stupidly, screw it, if I was confused, I'm making you make me understand.
"I'm leavin because of somebody." He sat up and grabbed the wheel with both hands.
"Who?" I asked.
He let out a long breath, "My girlfriend."
"Oh, did she dump you or did you find out she was cheating on you?" I knew the feeling a little too well.
He let out a quick, harsh laugh, "I wish."
His bubbly personality turned ice cold. The warmth inside of the car, became colder and it wasn't the air conditioning. I swallowed, I was afraid to speak another word, I didn't want him to explode, "W-W-What happened?" I asked shyly.
He seemed a little hesitant to say anything, but he told me anyway, "She got outta bed one morning and I begged her to stay, but she was one of those girls who you tell 'em to do something and she does it and more. The sun was barely up, even at that time of mornin, she was amazing and unpredictable." He stared out the window with a lost gaze, "Anyway, I watched her go out to the fields and check the crops to see if they were ready for harvest, like she did everyday. Then she just randomly walked through the wheat fields, brushing some stocks as she walked by, twirled a little bit. They were high, but not as high as they are now." I looked at the window and saw they were about up to my shoulders.
"I decided to, uh, go out there to hang out with her, so I put on some jeans and headed out." Where is this story going? "I watched her just out there, having a good time. She looked at peace. But then a bear came up to her and measured her. Trish wasn't the one to go down without a fight, and neither was the bear. I started running to her. She fought back against the bear and she was actually winning for sometime, but things took a drastic turn." I held my breath as I waited for him to continue the story. His eyes were glued to the road, but I could still tell his eyes were lifeless, "The bear-" I heard him gulp, "B-B-Bit down on her neck." I saw his mouth just making noise, like he didn't exactly know what to say next. His knuckles were white as they gripped the wheel.
"I-I-I-I-I heard her neck snap and I saw her body go limp as blood stained her clothes." I gasped at the detail, putting me right in the middle of the terrifying situation. He took a couple deep breaths and he went back to the story, "I got the bear away, but Trish was gone, her green eyes turned grey." I looked over at the side view mirror and looked at my own Irish, green eyes. It scared me that this Tracey girl Jim was talking about, had the same color eyes as me, "I held her limp body in my arms from when the sun rose til the sun fell. Then my Uncle John and Aunt Betty found me, still sitting in the fields with her still in my arms. They got me to move away and her blood stained my own clothes." I saw tears roll down his face, I didn't really think he was looking at the road anymore, he was just far off in his memories, as long as he wasn't turning off the straight road, we should be fine. "I watched it all happen. I watched my girlfriend die right in front of me. Mauled by a bear. I still can't get over it." He visibly gulped and he gripped the wheel even tighter.
"Jim," He was unresponsive, "Jim." I said a little louder this time, he stirred in his seat a little bit, but still no answer, "Jim!" I shouted. The truck took a quick swerve from left to right as Jim brought his focus back to reality. He loosened his grip on the steering wheel and blood rushed back into his fists. He took a couple more deep breaths and he looked over at me, I knew I had the look of worry and concern. He gave me a light smile and I untensed a little, "How long ago was this?"
"Uh," He scratched the back of his neck and gave out a small chuckle, "About 4 days ago." 4 DAYS?!?!?! It sounded like this guy was broken and he was already fine in four days? I highly doubt that.
"You're going away after 4 days of your girlfriend dying?" I've heard of quick comebacks but the smallest I heard of was two weeks.
"I ain't one to mourn after a while. Ya know, live and let go."
He now seemed so calm about the subject unlike he was a minute ago. It took me a good while to get over Jordan. Heck, I'm still getting over him now, "You seem like you have a better handle on life than the rest of us," I said out of shock.
"It's only those who choice to face the truth of life that understand it most." Man, this guy could be a preacher if he didn't have much of his accent. Some of his words hung and were left unfinished, but I could understand him since I came from Tennessee. A lot of people had thick southern accents and after a while, you understand what they're saying.
"Guess I still have a little more ways of understanding to go." I let out a light chuckle.
"From what I can understand, you have a good understanding. Most girls live in a fairy tale."
You got what right. I looked back over at Jim, I eyed him carefully, I was trying to determine his age, what all he experienced, it seemed he was somewhere in his 30's. But he only looked somewhere in his 20's, "How old are you?" I asked after about an hour of frustrated thinking.
A smile came to his lips as he looked over at me. His bubbly personality came back and that ice cold one split town, "26." I narrowed it down to 21-28. I need to work on my determining skills. I'd usually be on spot with something like that, "And you?"
"I'm 21."
He chuckled, "Ha, drinking age."
"Yup," I laughed, I haven't even used it yet.
The road stayed straight even though we'd been driving for about 3 hours now. My eye lids grew heavy, I've been traveling all night and run on nothing, but coffee. I'm beginning to crash, I can feel my brain shutting down. I was out in seconds.
I ran through a series of ceaseless, dark hallways. My breathing was heavy and I was sweating buckets. I looked back and I only saw a glimpse of who was following me, Kane and Victory. Why would I be running from my best friend? Kane, I understood why I was running from, he wasn't like he normally looked, he looked worst, if the way be normally looks wasn't enough. He had sharp teeth that were going all around his mouth and had a tongue like a snake's. Victory though, she looked like she normally looked, except she smeared red paint on her face. Besides that, she seemed like the Victory I always knew. Well, except for the past few months.
The hallway came to a sudden stop, just my luck. I leaned against the back wall as I struggled to catch my breath. Kane and Victory were closing on me fast, I didn't know what to do, what a nightmare. I closed my eyes and embraced myself for impact, but it never came. There was no pain, no hurt, just suspense that never came. Maybe I was waking up. I opened my eyes and in front of me was Randy Orton, his arms spread ,protecting me. Blue radiated off and around him, making the dark, dirty hallways, not seem that bad anymore. I looked past him and saw Victory and Kane standing in front of Randy, glaring him down.
I couldn't see Randy's face, but his body was stiff and I could just guess that he almost had flames in his eyes. I heard a low, rumbled growl and I watched as Victory and Kane back up a little. The growl got a louder a little bit but then died down to it's original sound. Kane lightly tapped Victory with the back of his hand on her stomach and they continued to walk backwards into the darkness. In seconds, they vanished. Randy relaxed his arms to his side and turned to me and he showed a face of a smile. Something I didn't really see often from him. His ice blue eyes actually shined as the area around the both of us turned into beautiful outside scenery where the sun shined and the birds chirped.
He spread out his arms for a hug, "Welcome home." He said. I was about to enter his arms when a white dot on his chest appeared. It grew larger and larger as it started sucking in my surroundings. Everything was turning distorted. This white dot was like a vacuum, at one point, I got sucked in.
I woke up in a seat with a start. I looked around and it took me a minute to realize where I was again. I relaxed as I saw Jim still driving the truck like he was when I went to sleep. I looked outside as tall buildings and skyscrapers started to grow around us, "Welcome to Dallas," Jim said as more and more buildings appeared.
I ripped my attention away from the city and looked over at Jim, he looked wide away, it was an 11 hour drive and Jim never asked for a break or didn't seemed tired, "Have you been up the entire time?" I asked.
Jim laughed, "We're here, ain't we?" I could use a travel person like him to come along with me on the road.
"Hey, Jim. Are you looking for a specific type of work?"
His eyebrows scrunched together, "Whatcha mean?"
"Well, I'm a new Diva in WWE and I've been looking for a driver for my tour bus." His face went blank, "I can pay you and you get to see the world like nothing before."
"Wow," Jim was breath taking, it wouldn't hurt to have a friend with you on the road. I heard him mumbled, "Trish wanted to see the world." We came to a stop at the first stop light I've seen this entire time, "I'll do it." I smiled, now I won't be lonely on really Victory's bus. We used to switch out turns to get the bus where we're going, "When can I start?"
I looked down at my slim, silver watch, 8:26 AM. I have a flight in about an hour, that's enough time to head the hotel and then to the airport. I had the perfect idea, "This one's a dozy." I warned him.
"I just drove through Arkansas, I think I'll be fine." He laughed.
The light turned green and we sped off, "Alright, I'll give you the address of my tour bus, it's right here in Dallas, but then I'm gonna need you to drive the tour bus, to Billings, Montana"
Jim smirked,"A challenge. I like it." I laughed, "And where will you be in all of this?"
"How do you know I won't be best to you the while time?"
"First of all, you only used me in the equation. Second of all, why would I need to drive all the way to Montana on such short notice?"
"Point taken. I'll be waiting there for you, I need my stuff to make it too. And my new employee." I chuckled, I'd never thought I'd be an employer. I almost forgot what I came down here for, "Can we make a stop at the Hampton hotel somewhere around here?"
"Of course." We took a quick turn left we almost missed.We cruised down the street a little until we came up on the hotel, wow it was closer than I thought. Jim pulled in next to the front entrance and I quickly got out of the car, I didn't want to waste anybody's time, especially my own. The place was still the same, same amount of people that is. I wonder if I'll run into that little girl again.
I walked up to the thick, mahogany desk and it was still the same guy behind it, "Welcome back, Ma'am."
"Hello, can I get a key to my room?" I talked in the innocent girl sound. I never wanted to come out as pushy or rude or anything.
"Name?" He asked me as he typed something in the computer.
"Daniella Rosy."
"Yes, room 221." He gave me a copy of the room key and gave him a light smile as I went over to the elevator. I quickly clicked the fourth floor and up the elevator went. The elevator music was growing tedious, some classic music, boring. At least they should put something with a beat on to past the time easier. The elevator went 'Ding!' and the elevator door slid open. I slid between them and rushed down the hall to the door with the numbers 221. It was only a couple rooms down, easier to find than you thought.
I slid the card in the lock and waited until it turned green. Easy and simple, just like that. I just hoped I wasn't robbed of anything. I barged in the room, but I froze as I saw the person I'd last expect.
"Randy?"