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A Different path, part 2 Cierra gasped as she found herself in cold water, choking as it entered her mouth. She struggled to reach the water surface, her feet finding ground, allowing her to stand. She coughed as she looked around her, the cold water up to her hips. Around her were tall grasses, a lot of water, and towering trees. The young woman didn't know that she had jumped to an alternative world, much like the original Cierra White. Here, humans had not arrived and drained away the swamps that could be found around the DC area. She looked around frantically as she shivered, wanting out of the cold water. Cierra headed for the trees, hoping for solid ground and a place to get warm. Finally she found a grassy spot beneath a tree. She pulled off her soggy robe and wrung it out before spreading it over a bush. She then stripped out of her hospital gown and squeezed out the water from it as well. Her tennis shoes were kicked off and placed in a sunny spot to dry. Now nude, she hugged herself and continued to look around her, dealing with the fact that she had somehow jumped like the other Cierra. But how did she do it? And where was she? Only wilderness could be seen. No sounds of civilization could be heard. No sign of contrails in the sky or planes. No traffic noises could be heard, just the sounds of birds and insects. Cierra chose a large stone and sat down on the rock, grateful for its warmth. She knew she ought to be afraid. She was alone in a strange place but she felt calm, to her surprise. She remained on her rock, watching insects buzz by. It wasn't until something moved nearby that she felt startled. Watching the moving brush, she was surprised to see a racoon appear, sniffing the air, no doubt wondering what strange creature she was. She felt laughter bubble up from within her and the animal scurried away. "Grandmother, what a strange place you have brought me," Cierra giggled. She could almost feel the older woman chuckling in reply. After a while, her stomach grumbled from hunger, making her aware that no one was going to bring her a meal. Now she was getting worried about her situation. She put on her still damp clothes and tennis shoes and began looking around. Maybe there were some berries or something she could find. Soon she found a raspberry bush and eagerly began popping the seedy fruit into her mouth. Her fingers and mouth became strained with the juices but she didn't care. The berries were easing her hunger. Unfortunately, she was eating the berries of a black bear's favorite spot. He arrived only to find this strange animal. He stood on his hind legs to get a better look with his weak eyes. Cierra screamed when she realized she was not alone, falling back and tripping over a root in her efforts to get away. The bear returned to all fours and took a step closer, making the young woman panic. As much as she hated the hospital, she wished for its security. The sudden onslaught of city smells and sounds surprised her. She was now on someone's well manicured lawn and the sound of a lawnmower in the distance could be heard. She was apparently in a suburb neighborhood. She scrambled to her feet and looked around. No one could be seen and children couldn't be heard. It was probably too early for school to be out for the day. She looked around quickly for a place to hide away from any possible spying eyes and headed for the rear of the nearby house. She was away from the hospital and safely out of the wilderness and the idea of being outside was too appealing to allow herself to be taken back. Her first thought was that she needed to blend in. Walking around in a robe would surely be too risky. She looked around and noticed laundry hanging from a line several houses down. She headed for the yard and carefully peeked into windows. The woman of the house was watching television, no doubt a soap opera, and facing away from the back yard. Cierra examined the clothing and grabbed what she thought would fit her before hiding inside the tool shed to change. She stuffed her robe and gown inside a trash can and quickly left the area before she could be noticed. Now that she was dressed, she wondered what to do next. She had no money, not that she had a real concept of it after living eighteen years in institutes. She knew no one, even her family, who had given her up to the doctors and conveniently forgot she existed. The only name she knew was the name of the reporter who had written about Cierra White-Foley. Spotting a dime on the ground gave Cierra an idea. She kept walking until she found herself near a shopping area and sought out a phone booth. She dropped the dime into the slot and dialed for an operator. When the operator spoke, Cierra asked to speak with Elinor Masters, naming the newspaper and city. "Please deposit one dollar for the call." "I don't have any money," Cierra told the operator. "Do you wish to make a collect call?" "Yes, please." "Your name, please?" Here was where it was risky but she didn't dare not give her true name. The woman might not accept a call from an unknown. "Cierra White." "Hold, please." Sounds of connections being made and the operator asking for Elinor Masters could be heard. There was long pause, no doubt from someone fetching the reporter. "This is Elinor Masters," a female voice spoke. "Will you accept collect call charges from Cierra White?" "Cierra White? Yes, of course. Cierra? Where are you?" "I don't know. I'm lost," Cierra said, wondering now what to say. "Are you in a phone booth? Okay, look at the phone book, what does it say?" Cierra read off the name of the phone company and city. The women spoke, with Cierra never confessing she wasn't the same Cierra that Elinor knew. The reporter told Cierra to find the nearest bus station, telling her to use the map inside the phone book. Elinor would call ahead and arrange for a ticket in her name and to come to her city. She would meet her there. ******** It took a long time for Cierra to find her way, even with the map. She just had never used one before. She stopped many people on her way and finally found the bus station with relief. She walked up to the ticket booth and gave her name. Elinor, bless her, had also wired her enough money to buy meals and necessities for her trip. The bus she needed to take wouldn't leave for another three hours so she headed across the street to a five and dime store to buy a few things. She bought a toothbrush and a few other items plus some under garments and another sundress at another store. She was dressed poorly but at least she had another set of clothing. She bought a small travel bag and placed her purchases inside. Cierra looked at the clock in the store and saw that she still had another hour and a half to wait so found a small diner. This was the first time she had been inside of one since she was seven years old. She nervously ordered a meal from the menu and waited until it arrived. She didn't see the stares from other diners because of her lack of table manners. They didn't know she had grown up in an institute where they didn't bother teaching her the niceties of life. After she finished, she paid the bill without leaving a tip, not knowing about such things. The waitress was rather annoyed at being stiffed. The young woman returned to the bus station and waited for her bus. She boarded it a short time later, heading for the back to avoid the eyes of all those strangers. She didn't know that the rear was normally for the black passengers. Her wish to go unnoticed was a failure. A kind Negro woman whispered that she should move further forward but Cierra refused to leave her seat. The woman shook her head and sat down next to her. Dark looks were sent her way but she ignored them, staring out the smeared bus window at the passing scenery. Many hours passed before the bus stopped at a diner to allow people to eat and visit the public restrooms. Cierra noticed that the people that had sat near her never entered the diner. As she was looking behind her, she was subject to several rude shoves and bumps from the other passengers. She sat alone, silently shunned. She ordered her meal and ate her sandwich quickly. One of the waitresses, a girl of about seventeen, patted her hand sympathetically. Cierra froze as images came to her from the contact. Scenes of the kind girl, beaten by her father. Images of her running away and half starved. Without words, she knew the waitress could barely read or write and took odd jobs to survive. Moments later, the young waitress walked to the counter to clean away the plate and found a pile of bills. The grateful girl slipped the money into her pocket and walked to the window, waving into the darkness towards the bus. * * * * * The rising sun woke Cierra. She stiffly sat up and looked around. "Where are we?" she sleepily asked the woman next to her. "We should be there in about an hour. Do you have someone meeting you?" Cierra nodded as she yawned. She felt odd now that her medications were nearly worn off. Her senses were sharper and she didn't feel sluggish as usual. The Negro woman next to her handed her a foil-wrapped muffin from her bag. Cierra smiled, "Thank you, Mattie." The woman looked at her oddly. "I never told you my name. How did you know it?" The Native American could only shrug. She just knew. "Do I know you?" the woman asked. Cierra shook her head no so the woman asked her name. Without thinking, Cierra told her. The woman's eyes opened wide and began asking her questions in a soft whisper, afraid people would overhear them. Cierra tried to explain she wasn't the one people wrote about but the woman didn't believe her. She continued to grill her with questions until the bus arrived at the bus depot. Cierra hurried from the bus, anxious to escape the woman. She only hoped the reporter she was meeting would spot her quickly since she had no idea what the woman looked like. She looked around at every female she could spot until a woman raised her hand and waved, calling her name. "Cierra?" Elinor asked in confusion. The Cierra in front of her didn't look the same. She wasn't tanned or as in good physical shape as she remembered. Also her hair was much shorter and darker. "Elinor Masters?" That was all it took to convince the reporter that this wasn't the same woman. She didn't know whether or not to be angry at being deceived. "I think we need to talk. My car is over there," she said, pointing up the street. They walked to the car and got inside. "Now, tell me who in the hell you are," Elinor growled. 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