Sebastian Vassinari
Isaac was different as he greeted us the next morning, his usual haunted expression had changed to more of a grimace and Jacob and I both knew that wasn't a good sign.
"I need to speak to you Sebastian," Isaac asked in a manner that wasn't a question but an instruction. He stood from the table and walked towards the door. I looked over at Jacob who simply shrugged with indignation. I understood what his thoughts on Isaac were, and I agreed with them, however one thing had been made certain, if we were to come out of this alive, Isaac was the only one of us able to help. As I stood to follow him also, my mind instantly turned to those that he left behind and the almost duality of his actions, seeming not to care about the past and caring too much in equal measure. I headed out into the corridor, seeing the still shaken figure of his sister who was being looked after by Ashlea. I passed them quietly and caught up with Isaac who stood at the far end of the corridor. As I approached he held his hand out to me. "Take it," he ordered, looking down at his hand.
"Are you-" I started, before he cut me off.
"Yes, just do it." He ordered once more as I took his hand in mine and pushed my power into him.
"What?" I said aloud, as my power seemed to struggle to enter his body, as if blocked by a wall. Then pain, unimaginable pain shot through my arm as I released my grip, and held onto it with my other hand as the pain instantly faded.
"You okay ?" Isaac asked, his prude attitude changing to sincerity as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
"That, that was-" I found it hard to describe the pain, it wasn't physical, my arm was okay, it was more like stress given form in the way of pain. "It, it was like -" I stuttered, dazed from the sudden reaction.
"Did it work?" Isaac asked hastily.
"I, no, I don't think so."
"Fuck!" Isaac slammed his fist against the wall, "why?"
"I don't know."
"There must be a reason why, try again." He held out his hand and I looked at it unsure. "Try again," he ordered and although I was hesitant, that almost scared look in his eyes told me otherwise and I complied.
Isaac Woodman
T2 2025 - Why, why wasn't it working, I thought to myself as Sebastian recoiled the second time, the scream sounding more pained. This was our best chance. I looked down at the hand I offered him, expecting to see something, anything that would tell me why this wasn't working.
"Is everything alright?" Jacob shouted from the end of the hall, I barely gave him any attention as I mulled my thoughts over in my head, No, we have to try again, maybe he needs to hold on through the pain.
"Sebastian again." I stated, extending my hand to him once again, but found the man shaking his head. "This needs to happen Sebastian, you need this, in case," I turned from him as I recognised that look in his eyes, stalking down the corridor into the rain to collect my thoughts. All of the stress, memories, fear, pain, expectations, questions and answers, all hit me in one tidal wave of frightening emotion. "Why don't you understand?" I said aloud, as the rain hid my tears. I'm not broken, am I? I looked to my hands again, seeing blood on them, a phantom guilt that I saw the irony in. The street was void of cars as I simply stood, staring at the creases in my hands, imagining my aged hands overlapping my softer skin. Water parted through the individual strands of hair on my head and I could feel everything, my mind taking in the sensation in a vain attempt to turn my thoughts away from the present and past. "Why, I, I don't know if I can survive this next one."
"Then don't," I turned to the familiar voice and saw the war torn, grime covered form of my past self, the one who had survived at all costs. "Just start over, you are good at that,"
"I can't just do that, I need to fight the best I can, so that I know where these choices lead to."
"Then why are you already acting as if you have already been beaten."
"What do you expect me to do then?"
"Ask around, think things through, find a work around, just do anything."
"But I don't think I can do that this time."
"Why not, you have no power to help you survive battles, yet we were one of the last people standing, why do you think that is?"
"I don't know."
"You do know, you are just afraid to say it aloud, tell me, why does Harry take you seriously, we know that he can kill us with a thought, so why doesn't he?"
"I don't -"
"You keep saying that, give it a thought, properly think on it, that is what we were praised for, remember." The visage was gone then, my subconscious washed away in the rain like a painting left out in a typhoon. I looked up at the clouds above, the rain hitting my eyes which hurt with each hit on the iris's, but the pain kept my mind blank, which is what I needed at that moment.
"I know I shouldn't get involved, but it seems like I must." The voice sounded familiar as I turned to the figure who stood under a black umbrella that seemed too steady amongst the irregular batterings of wind. "As intriguing as that little display of insanity was to watch, I suppose I must point you in the right direction." He stepped forwards, closing his umbrella and pointing forwards, "tell me Isaac, what direction am I pointing towards?"
"What?" I muttered, confused at the man, before recognising where I had last seen him. "You?"
"Yes, you met me in that maze, but don't worry about that, just answer my question, what direction am I pointing towards?"
"Forwards?"
"Huh, interesting, and now?" He pointed the umbrella in the opposite direction.
"I don't get-"
"Just answer me, Isaac."
"Backwards. But why are you asking me something as simple as that?"
"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, to you, those directions are one and the same."
"What do you mean?"
"Still haven't figured it out yet, you are an anomaly to those above," he opened his umbrella again, covering himself from the rain as he stepped towards me. "Like me, you exist outside the realm of time and with that, forwards and backwards is but a concept to you. You seem afraid of your actions even now, but you forget that you simply need to play the role again and again, just like an actor would. This point, right here,-" he pointed to the ground, "is a simple bookmark in your quest, you fear starting over, but you simply need to return to this space in time by doing the same thing. Your focus is too small, Sebastian isn't the only piece on the board, simply, experiment a bit."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"An ally, for now. Think on what I said." I tried to step forward, but found myself unable to move. That was when I saw someone standing against a lamppost, their face covered by a mask I instantly recognised from my past.
"How?" Then I saw the ginger hair behind it and suddenly it made sense why Henry was an anomaly, I then remembered what Harry had done to him in the past. "Henry?" I asked, but the figure said nothing.
"Oh, and don't tell the others about my little chat with you, or about my new colleague, he is helping me with something at the moment."
"Who are you?" I asked as the figure turned to leave.
"As much as I love being the mysterious stranger, just call me whatever you like," his tattooed arm seemed to glow as he began to vanish, becoming flakes of skin that drifted in the wind. I whipped my head back to look at Henry, but he had vanished also. And I was left alone in the rain, just letting my thoughts drown me.