Reality Check

Second Chances

A/N- ahhhh thank you all sm for 5K reads!!! And I can't say this enough but your comments mean the world to me & I love this fandom. Thanks for all your support with this story!!

Ships In The Night (by Mat Kearney)

"Like ships in the night. You keep passing me by. Just wasting time . . ."

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Bethany used to be invisible.

Back in school, no one saw her. No one noticed her, and she preferred it that way. Better to just focus on finding her dad, not wasting time on making friends or getting too attached to other people. That made it easier to slip away unnoticed when she had to.

Even years later, when she'd lost her memories of her fictional life, she'd still been very much invisible. Even when she wasn't trying to be unnoticed, it came naturally. For her, that kind of thing always had. Social settings had just never seemed to work out, because she had such a history of getting things wrong and not fitting in. For Bethany, she wasn't sure if she'd ever "fit in" anywhere.

But all of the sudden, she didn't feel so transparent anymore. Being at the summer camp, getting caught up in the fun games and training, made her feel like she was apart of something. She didn't have those worries of not fitting in, because everyone seemed to include her in everything. Everyone was happy and carefree, and things seemed right. 

In fact, she didn't worry about anything now! Spending time in a place like this was the most fun she'd had in a while. She was so caught up in it all, lost in a whirlwind of excitement and Girl Scout duties, that she quickly lost track of what was real.

But Bethany was having too much fun to care or even recognize what she should be worrying about. Worrying was a part of the past, something that used to stick to her like a shadow. Not that she was very focused on them, but she was starting to wonder where her friends were. Their whereabouts were very foggy to her, but she hoped they were having fun.

Before she knew it, it was nighttime. She'd spent the last few hours doing activities with the Boy Scouts, though something told her she should be with the Girl Scouts instead. Still, the fact that she was there didn't seem to bother the boys one bit. She wasn't bothered, either, since she'd always had an easier time talking to boys than girls her age.

They'd invited her to a bonfire in the woods, to roast marshmallows and sing campfire songs. Of course, Bethany didn't object. She loved the idea, and just being included made her feel all the better. She wasn't the type to sing campfire songs, but she could never turn down the opportunity for marshmallows. Never.

As she followed a group of boys out into the darkening forest, her eyes landed on the tall bonfire in the center of a clearing, sparks dancing high in the sky. The sight of it burned her eyes a little, causing them to water slightly. Wildflowers poked up between rocks in the soft green grass.

A huge grin exploded on Bethany's face. She was already running towards the flames, loving the heat that brushed against her skin. The bonfire rose up behind her, encasing her image with a bright golden glow. The intensity of the heat didn't bother her, nor did it stop her from spinning around, her arms tossed lazily in the air as singing and laughter echoed around her.

Something in the back of her mind quietly reminded her she'd never usually do this. Not in public, surrounded by strangers. Not even around her own friends sometimes, although she'd danced in front of them once or twice. But she was having too much fun to care, completely lost in the moment. She could care less about who saw.

A laugh rose up in her chest as she danced, her cheeks pink. Her long hair whipped across her face. She kept spinning, hypnotized by the orange sparks and thick smoke from the fire that blended with the green canopy of trees above her head. The night was warm and breezy, and excited chatter buzzed through the air. The sky lay out like a painting, dazzled with stars and a bright, full moon.