Chapter 9 What She Said Was True

***Heather’s Point Of View***

                I don’t know how long I had been unconscious but when I finally opened my eyes. The rain was still falling but it wasn’t falling down as hard as it was before. I didn’t hear any more thunder but I knew it would return whenever it wanted to.

                I slowly raised myself up on my hands and felt a sharp pain in my left hand. I raised my hand up to see what looked like a red sequined ribbon wrapped around it. I carefully unwrapped it and a flash of lightning showed me that I had a nasty gash on the base of my thumb. It hurt like hell and from what I could tell it bled a lot.

                I wrapped my hand again as I thought aloud to myself as thunder boomed, “How did I get this cut on my hand?”

                Another flash of lightning blasted across the sky. I was able to catch a glimpse of the clothes I was wearing which were not mine. I had on a short red skirt with black fringe, a red sequined top that looked like a glorified bra and a red sequined shrug that had a piece torn off of it. A far fetch from my skinny jeans and Straight Through My Heart t-shirt.  

                “Well now I know where that make shift bandage came from,” I said to myself. “But wait, why am I in someone else’s clothes?”

                Another bolt of lightning cracked across the sky and thunder roared.

                I heard a scream right in front of me and I could see movement.

                “Hello?” I said cautiously.

                “Heather?!” a voice answered and I recognized it was Kalie.

                “Kalie is that you?”

                “Yes,” she replied with a shaky voice. “Was that you I ran into?”

                “I guess so. I was running blind so I’m sorry I bumped into you like that.”

                “No don’t be sorry because I was running blind too. Why are you out here?”

                “This bitch who claimed I was you threw me out and locked the door behind me. I tried looking for opened doors but every single one was locked. I was running to the back of the building to try my luck there. That’s when we collided. Why are you out here?”

                “I ended up out here the same way you did except I was thrown out by two bitches who claimed I was you!”

                I could hear terror in her voice, “Kalie what’s wrong?”

                “I am terrified of storms! And I mean terrified! I was left outside in a hurricane when I was younger down in Florida. I just want to get inside Heather. I don’t know how much longer I can stay out here and not have a heart attack!”

                “Just try to relax. I’m here and we’ll find a way back inside I promise.” I stood up and slowly moved closer to her, “I don’t know how well you can see me but I just stood up and I’m coming closer so I can help you up.”

                “Ok. I can see you moving. I’m right in front of you.”

                I helped her stand up and just as she got on her feet lightning lit up the darkness we were standing in. Kalie jumped and screamed but in that time we both saw what we just couldn’t believe we saw.

                “YOU’RE WEARING MY CLOTHES!” we both screamed in complete terror and confusion.

                Another lightning strike showed us that it was like we were both looking into a mirror.

                “YOU ARE ME!? AND I’M YOU?!” We stood there holding each other up. I stared at her and I couldn’t really see too well but I knew she was staring back at me.

                “I can’t believe what she said was true,” Kalie said with a quaky voice.

                “What was that?”

                “This is going to sound crazy but the makeup artist who did my makeup for tonight was from one of the islands. She told us a story about a hurricane that hit her home village. The story was about two girls who were running out in the middle of the storm and they collided with each other. When they woke up after being knocked unconscious their souls were in each other’s bodies.”

                I took in her words and shook my head, “I don’t know if the knock to the back of my head has affected me or the fact that I’m cold, wet and hungry or that I have no other way of explaining why I’m looking at myself when I’m not looking into a full body mirror but… I believe you.”

                Lightning caused Kalie to scream and jump closer to me. She encircled her arms around me tightly so I couldn’t move my arms. I felt her shaking violently.

                “I…. I’m….I’m sor… sorry,” she stuttered.

                “It’s ok. Everyone has their worst fear, yours just happens to be storms. We’ll find a way back inside I promise. Take my hand and we’ll do this together.”

                She gripped my hand tightly and I winced because it was my left hand, “Ouch!”

                “I’m sorry! What happened?”

                “I don’t know. There’s a deep cut on my left hand. Well since we’re in each other’s bodies, there’s a deep cut on your left hand. But here we can link arms instead.”

                “That’s right! This storm has shaken me up so much that I forgot about it. The tour manager gave us lanterns incase the power went out and when I was pushed outside it fell and shattered and I must have fallen on one of the shards.”

                “I like your choice of dressing for it,” I tried to get a chuckle out of her to make her feel a tad bit better.

                She did chuckle slightly, “Thanks. I made do with what I have or rather had on at the time.”        

                “I still can’t believe we are in each other’s bodies. And Kalie I’m jealous.”

                “Of what?”

                “You can actually pull off an outfit like this. And you’ve got abs girl!”

                “Oh stop! You can pull an outfit like this off too!” She lifted my shirt and patted my stomach, or her stomach, the whole switching bodies thing sort of confused me, “You’re on your way to abs too Heather!

                “No I’m not,” I scoffed. “I wish I was as pretty as you are.”

                “Heather! You are beautiful! Stop putting yourself down! I hate when beautiful girls like you do that,” she shook my shoulder as we walked.

                “Thanks.”

***Back Inside With the Backstreet Buds***

                “What is taking Hermie so long?” Carly asked.

                “Maybe she went to go buy the shirts we wanted and got stuck by the stand when the lights went out,” Melina suggested.

                “That’s a possibility but I think she would’ve found her way back to us by now,” Jess said.

                “Something’s not right,” Kelshie answered. “She should be back by now and I feel like something bad has happened to her. I’m going to go find her.”

                “I’m coming with you then,” Jess said. “You’re making me worry about her even more Kelshie.”

                “I’m coming with you two,” Carly added in.

                “I’m coming too! I want to find Hermie and I really don’t want to wait in the dark by myself,” Melina said following her friends.

***Now With Kalie’s Besties***

                “We should go get Kalie so she doesn’t have to be backstage alone now that she won’t be dancing tonight,” Crystal suggested.

                “Good idea,” Michelle agreed.

                “Let’s go find her,” Chris said leading the way over the guard rail.

                “Well let’s see if we can actually find her dressing room with the lights out,” Dan chuckled.