It was a sound Meredith recognized. Walking out of the hallway and into the rec room, it was, at last, something she recognized -- something familiar beyond the face of Dr. Addison Montgomery. It was Izzie, and there was an ache in her voice, thick with tears, that Meredith had heard before, and then the sound of wracking sobs. As Meredith stepped forward, she looked up at screen and into her past -- until someone moved from the couch, catching Meredith's attention so her head whipped around and she was staring hard at something even more familiar yet.
"Izzie," she said, eyes widening as she stepped forward. "Oh my god, Iz, you're here. I didn't -- I thought it was just me and Addison, and that was -- why were we on the screen?"
It was probably a moment for hugging, but Meredith could only catch at Izzie's arm.
Isabel had been reaching for the projector, intent on getting the things on the screen to freaking stop. She couldn't bear to see any more of it. While those things hadn't happened to her, they may as well have, for she felt them deeply. She'd lost Alex, after all. Though months had now passed since he died, the pain was as raw as if it had happened yesterday if she let it be.
The hand on her arm stopped Isabel dead in her tracks. She was about to try to jerk her arm away when she looked up to see one of the women who had been on the screen.
"It's a mistake," Isabel choked, shaking her head dully.
Something was off, but all Meredith could think was that she'd been stuck on an island for three weeks without her friends or her work, and weird as it was that they were on that screen, it was mostly just good to see Izzie.
"What's a mistake?" she asked. "Iz, when did you get here?" It was hard to shake the sense that something about Izzie wasn't right, that there was something about her that was off. In the moment, it didn't really matter.
Meredith let her hand drop, staring at Izzie. "You're..." She stopped and looked over at the screen, her heart rate speeding up -- Derek on the screen, for just a moment, and Izzie in her dress with tears in her eyes. "Our life has a soundtrack," she said, not looking at Izzie now, her tone wondering. "Our life has a soundtrack, and it sounds like Snow Patrol."
"I don't even know who that is," Isabel said faintly, following the woman's gaze to the screen. That must have been a band name, but none Isabel had ever heard of. Then again, she mostly listened to things like Beth Orton and Gomez, so it wasn't like she was entirely up on pop.
"That's not me," she said again. "I don't even know any of you. It doesn't make sense."
Meredith looked over at Izzie again, moving to try and turn off the projector. Finn was on the screen now, and god, she'd -- not forgotten him, but let him slip from her mind after she'd chosen Derek, which had turned out to be a bad plan. Finn and his plans. Oh god.
"How do you turn this off?" she muttered, then glanced up at the girl again. The girl. She was younger than Izzie, she realized, taking in the sight of her, looking at her almost for the first time. "You're younger than her. You're like mini-Izzie." Because this place wasn't weird or confusing enough yet without it throwing a teenage Izzie at her. "I'm sorry, I'm... I'm Meredith. But you look like Izzie."
"I am Izzy," Isabel muttered, moving to one side of the projector. "Isabel." She crouched down, trying like hell to ignore the sound of her own voice on the screen. It was hard, though, because this was all so unreal.
Poking and prodding at the buttons on the projector, Isabel looked over at the woman, Meredith. "Evans, not Stevens." She frowned, then focused her attention back on the machine. After punching a big red button, the reel began to slow down. "I think I got it."
"Isabel Evans." Meredith stared, confused, then shook her head. She couldn't remember Izzie ever saying anything about changing her name, and no one in this place had mentioned people showing up as teenagers or whatever this was. If this was a practical joke, it was going too far. Even being up on that screen was going too far. No one had been filming the prom. No one could have caught that on film.
"Well. I didn't think this place could get more confusing."
Once she was satisfied the projector wasn't going to start up again and effectively traumatize the both of them, Isabel stood. Dusting her hands on the thighs of her jeans, she cast a wary glance over at Meredith. "That wasn't me up there, was it?" She didn't think it was. The whole thing didn't feel right.
"Unless you change your name in the future, I don't think so," Meredith said, eyes narrowed in confusion. "Where are you from?" Maybe Izzie had changed her name and never told them. She had no idea, though, how to figure out if someone was a past version of a friend. "Are you... interested in med school?"
There wasn't any reason she would ever change her name. The Evanses were her parents. Isabel loved them. No way would she ever not use there name, not as long as she was still on Earth.
"I wouldn't do that." She shook her head vehemently. "I'm from Roswell." While Isabel had been looking to her future when she'd been back home, she hadn't really known what it would hold. Yeah, she'd wanted to go away to college but she didn't know what she wanted to study. Med school didn't sound like it would be her thing, though. "I didn't even like science class."
Meredith walked over to the couch, sinking down. "So you're not her," she said, "you just look like her. And sound like her." She still found the whole being-on-screen thing more than a little messed up, but the Izzie/Izzy thing was confusing enough to wrap her head around. She'd seen plenty of people around who looked like each other, but it was different; they didn't look like people she knew. "That, or we're going crazy."
"She could look and sound like me," Isabel said pointedly. With this messed up island time, there was no telling who came first. Well, if Isabel wanted to get technical, she was pretty sure she came first anyway, having survived the crash and all.
She shook her head at Meredith's comment. "I don't think we're going crazy. I think this place might want us to go crazy, but we're not."
Not yet they weren't, at least. Meredith wasn't so sure she wasn't gonna wind up there eventually. "It's trying pretty hard," she said. There was a beat, and then she looked up at Isabel. "Almost four months, huh? That's... a while."
It was like proof the place didn't get any better. It just kept torturing you, however long you'd been around. Well, at least that gave her something to look forward to. "You like it alright? Aside from someone who isn't you on the screen."
"Yeah, it seriously is," Isabel agreed, brow wrinkling a little as she afforded the projector one last look. Sighing, she sank down onto the opposite end of the couch from Meredith. Stretching her long legs out, Isabel lolled her head to the side so she could see her properly. "It's okay most of the time, except for--" One hand waved vaguely toward the screen. "--that. I made some pretty good friends here and that's definitely helped. Makes it a little easier, you know?"
"Izzie," she said, eyes widening as she stepped forward. "Oh my god, Iz, you're here. I didn't -- I thought it was just me and Addison, and that was -- why were we on the screen?"
It was probably a moment for hugging, but Meredith could only catch at Izzie's arm.
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The hand on her arm stopped Isabel dead in her tracks. She was about to try to jerk her arm away when she looked up to see one of the women who had been on the screen.
"It's a mistake," Isabel choked, shaking her head dully.
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"What's a mistake?" she asked. "Iz, when did you get here?" It was hard to shake the sense that something about Izzie wasn't right, that there was something about her that was off. In the moment, it didn't really matter.
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This was all so weird. Unreal, even.
"I'm not--" She broke off, a hand gesturing over her shoulder toward the screen. "That's not me."
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"That's not me," she said again. "I don't even know any of you. It doesn't make sense."
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"How do you turn this off?" she muttered, then glanced up at the girl again. The girl. She was younger than Izzie, she realized, taking in the sight of her, looking at her almost for the first time. "You're younger than her. You're like mini-Izzie." Because this place wasn't weird or confusing enough yet without it throwing a teenage Izzie at her. "I'm sorry, I'm... I'm Meredith. But you look like Izzie."
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Poking and prodding at the buttons on the projector, Isabel looked over at the woman, Meredith. "Evans, not Stevens." She frowned, then focused her attention back on the machine. After punching a big red button, the reel began to slow down. "I think I got it."
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"Well. I didn't think this place could get more confusing."
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Once she was satisfied the projector wasn't going to start up again and effectively traumatize the both of them, Isabel stood. Dusting her hands on the thighs of her jeans, she cast a wary glance over at Meredith. "That wasn't me up there, was it?" She didn't think it was. The whole thing didn't feel right.
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"I wouldn't do that." She shook her head vehemently. "I'm from Roswell." While Isabel had been looking to her future when she'd been back home, she hadn't really known what it would hold. Yeah, she'd wanted to go away to college but she didn't know what she wanted to study. Med school didn't sound like it would be her thing, though. "I didn't even like science class."
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She shook her head at Meredith's comment. "I don't think we're going crazy. I think this place might want us to go crazy, but we're not."
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It was like proof the place didn't get any better. It just kept torturing you, however long you'd been around. Well, at least that gave her something to look forward to. "You like it alright? Aside from someone who isn't you on the screen."
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