CHAPTER THREE:
PARANOIA

BETH WASN'T ONE TO THINK. She despised it, if she was being honest. But as she drove down the road, in search of her new destination, she couldn't help but think about every little thing that came to mind. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, thinking back to her faint memories of her father. She barely remembered the golden flecks that ran through the blue of his eyes, as he looked at her, a smile on his face as he placed her on his hip and twirled her around. She wondered what her life would be like if her father had still been alive. Would HYDRA still be after her? Would they have been the picture perfect family? Would her mother still be alive? Her mother. That was her next series of thoughts.

Lately, Beth found herself thinking of her mother more often. her mother was the only family figure that she had. She knew nothing of either side of her parents families, and she wasn't really sure why. She knew why they never wanted to see her, especially her grandparents. She looked like her father, and they hated that. They blamed her mother for her fathers death. This thought made Beth's jaw clench. How could her father's death be her mothers fault if her mother wasn't even there? Her father was away at war. It wasn't like her mother could exactly step in and block the bullet from lodging into his chest.

Suddenly, Beth slammed on brakes, a gasp falling from her lips as a cars horn blasted at her. She looked at the other person, frowning as she waved at them apologetically. When she could move forward again, a soft sigh fell from her lips. She pushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear, placing her elbow against the door as she used her hand to prop her head up. Her stomach let out a growl and she frowned, knowing that she hadn't ate since last night. She needed to fill her car up with gas anyways, so she would just pick out a couple of snacks until she was positive that it was safe for her to get real food.

She pulled up at the nearest gas station, quickly getting out of her car and making her way into the store. She grabbed the snacks she desired as well as a water before paying for them as well as the gas. She smiled at the clerk before exiting the store and placing the nozzle into her gas tank. She opened the passengers door, throwing the bag inside before closing the door and leaning against the car as she patiently waited.

When her car was finished being filled, she closed the gas tank and opened her car door, stopping when she felt eyes looking at her. She swallowed, turning her head in every direction only to see no one there. She closed her eyes, her hand clenching on the door handle before she quickly entered her car. She locked the doors, placing both hands on the steering wheel as she exhaled. She buckled her seat belt before quickly putting her car into drive and speeding off.

She felt her heart rate spike, her paranoia flaring up as she continuously flicked her eyes towards the rear view mirror to make sure she wasn't being followed. She drove until the sun started to set, and then she found the nearest motel and pulled into it, paying for one night, and bringing her bag of snacks and clothes into the room. She sat on the bed, staring blankly at the television as she popped a chip into her mouth.

When she finished eating her snacks, she took a five minute shower, placing her wet hair into a braid before walking over to her bag and pulling out her dreamcatcher once more. She sat back on the bed, biting her bottom lip as she ran her hand over the material. She fingered the feathers of the dreamcatcher, a soft sigh falling from her lips as she tilted her head slightly.

"Come on, work for me please." She quietly begged before standing up and hanging the dreamcatcher up on the wall. She removed herself from the bed, looking at the dreamcatcher as it sat there, taunting her. She frowned slightly before doing the same thing she did every night. She placed a chair under the doorknob, locking the door before crawling under the covers. She placed her head onto the pillow before she looked up at the dreamcatcher one last time before muttering the words, "Please work." And then, she closed her eyes, hoping that she would slip into a peaceful slumber.