"When you were in the car crash with your parents...your parents died." So they did die "But then when you fell in the puddle with the wires, you became a Time Traveler. You appeared in the year 2008, changing the timeline so that your parents don't die but Alejandro's mom does. It's like your parents and Alejandro's mom switched places," tears start falling down my eyes. I can't believe what I have done. My parents still died even so.
"Why did they still di-" I choke back tears.
"It's because if an event happens it's going to happen. The time might not be the same but it will." What about Alejandro? He comes closer to me with a towel but I flinch.
"Don't come close," I yell.
"You are still pale," I look in the mirror and I am. It's nothing. He still moves closer. I kick him in the shin. He grunts as if he is holding in a scream.
"I'm sorry it was a reflex." What is wrong with me? This body is out of control. Get it together.
"It's ok. These are side effects from the memory I think," I look down. "This should have happened to you. To us. We don't choose what happens to us. But we can change how we react"
"How can I get rid of these feelings of fear? These side effects I have?"
"To face them?"
"How can I do that?"
"I'll show you," He reaches for my hand but I pull back. Instead, he points at me to follow him out. I slowly get out of bed to follow him. We wait for a taxi. He opens the door for me and I get in as he enters through the other side. When I sit inside, I realize I am so weak right now. I don't feel well at all. The taxi finally stops. We reach, what seems like an abandoned parking lot. Suddenly I get the chills. As we walk down the parking lot, it looks fairly familiar. I remember a few years ago I traveled to this parking lot and saw a little boy crying in a car. I see the opening of where we are going. We walk down.
"What is this place?" I start trembling. "It's too dark I can't be here"
"Just close your eyes," I do as he says, "Calm down and follow my voice"
"Ok. Gwen, calm down. Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts," I say out loud unknowingly as I continue following Alejandros Grandpa's voice.
"Open your eyes now. We are at the door," I scan the door up and down. It's...the door of that lab.
"No, I can't be here," I turn my head in fear ready to sprint out of here. Then all of a sudden lights turn on. It's a subway station. An old one. I hear the sound of a door open. I fall down hearing the sound.
"Gwen...you asked me what can help me...this is the answer"
"I changed my mind...I can't," I whine like a little child.
"Yes, you can. You have to," He lends me a hand and I reach for it. I keep my eyes closed. I become tingly and cold. "Open your eyes Gwen" His voice, stern. I open my eyes to the same futuristic lab. My heart is beating so fast, making me nauseous. I fall to the ground.
"How is this supposed to help me?"
"Face your fear." He's right. Gwen stop being scared. Get up. You are stronger than this. I get up slowly. My arms shake as I try to get up. I push myself to get up and begin to walk around the lab. I came across a needle. It has dried blood almost the color black. "That's yours."
"But I thought I had a blood-like electricity back then"
"I can tell by the color of the blood. Since you are young, it's almost the color black. As for us, Time Travelers get older our blood gets lighter. I found that out as I aged." It's nice to have someone older than me explain these characteristics of myself that I didn't know. "This need must have hurt," He picks up the needle.
"Why could people even think about taking revenge? It's so cruel"
"It's a cruel world, Gwen." I guess he's right. There was so much I didn't know because of how I closed myself. I walk to the wall that Alejandro's Mom's computer appeared. I tap where she pressed. Then the computer appears from the wall like before. "How did you do that?" Alejandro's Grandpa moves to the computer with the sample of my blood still on the screen. He seems amazed.
"I remember"
"The truth is your blood is actually unlike mine. Since we are the only Time Travelers, I can only compare your blood to me and that can't make sense. I just can't point out the difference. On this screen maybe if I compared my blood along with this. It could be a way to find the difference and if one day you get severely sick this can serve as a way to find a cure"
"What makes you think I would get severely sick?" His eyes move to me. Did he notice how pale I look? It's not like I am sick. I go to sit on the counter.
"Oh, nothing. Just in case," He searches through the computer. I notice a USB drive in his hand from a distance. I can't see well so it's probably my eyes playing tricks on me.
"She did a lot of research," I stare at the screen as he searches.
"As I am reading, it seems she thought that you were a way to help people time travel. She doesn't know that our blood can't help other people. It's toxic to humans. By the way, Alejandro touched me with a liquid that seemingly seemed like a tear from your face, it makes me even more sure of it."
"But you're a Time Traveler like me"
"Our ability starts to recede as we get older. That says more about you, Gwen. It stung. I know you are different. And I think it's because of...Alejandro that you are different"
"Alejandro?" He nods his head. Why him? Out of all people. Why did he have to be stuck in my world, in my mess?
"Don't get frightened when I ask you this okay?"
"No promises"
"I have to compare your blood back then to your blood now"
"My blood? With that needle? No way! You can't." I am reminded of my past. I can't do that again. I have to get away from that needle. They hurt me. She hurt me.
"Gwen...Breathe in and out," I mimic as he breathes in and out too. "I won't hurt you...you can trust me...I'm not her...I am not Alejandro's mom," He holds the needle and the tube to extract the blood in his hand but his words are sincere. I know I can trust him. I slowly walk to him.
"Don't make it hurt please," I shut my eyes and give him my arm. As he moves the needle to my arm I shift my head away. I feel a slight pinch. I move my head to see where the needle was inserted. He puts a bandaid on me. It didn't hurt. At all.
"I told you I wouldn't hurt you," A sense of relief washes over me. "But if you have any symptoms of anything unnormal then call me," He hands me a business card with his personal number "I don't want you to get sick or anything"
"Will something happen to me if I don't?"
"This is all new to me so please contact me if anything, I mean anything happens okay?" I just stare at him. Is something going to happen to me because blood, this electricity blood has been extracted from me? "Gwen! Do you hear me?" I snap out of my thoughts.
"I do hear you"
"Ok well, it is getting late. Where are you staying?" I forgot about my sister. I check my phone and it's 11 a.m.
"I can get where I have to go by myself," I run out of the lab. As I am running I feel a shock as if I am being powdered up like a battery. I try to run to the exit but suddenly I am in front of my loft building in N.Y.C. How...How did I get here? Why am I here? What should I do now? I am in the middle of the sidewalk with many people. I need to move. I enter my building. I go to the elevator and press the button to my floor. When I arrive on my floor I see the walls old, chipped paint as if it was a million years old along with papers thrown on the floor. I step over the paper and walk to the entrance of my loft. The door is creaked open. I enter and there is no one home. There is so much dust and plastic wraps on the furniture and couches. I see a lamp shining on a picture. Wait...I have seen this before. Back then, the person in the picture was blurred next to me. I walk to the picture. I bend down to look at the picture. I see myself as a kid but now I can see the person next to me. My eyes begin to water. It is Alejandro. This picture was taken at his playground. His mother took a picture of us. I hear footsteps. It's Rosaline. She comes in crying. I run to a dark wall. When the footsteps come to a pause, as expected Rosaline is crying. I need to get out of here last time she chased me. I can't get caught this time. Something pulls my arm. I am pulled to the guest room in an instant. I turn to see who pulled me and it's a teenage girl. She is in a black hoodie matter of fact she is all dressed in black. She has a mask that covers everything except her eyes. She takes the mask off.
"Mom...you are in danger...you need to get out of here...your hurting da- I mean Alejandro" I don't say anything by how shocked I am.
"Who are you? Why did you call me mom?"
"None of that matters now." A hole opens up in the wall. It's not a normal hole it's like a portal.
"Woah...what is that?"
"I can travel through time through portals and also to different places"
"You are a new speedster?" I hear Rosaline's footsteps. Now how am I supposed to escape when this girl pulled me into a corner room of the loft.
"What yea-"
"2029," I remember I traveled to 2028. The future has changed once again.
"You are from the future aren't you?" At this time, Alejandro's grandpa said me and him are the only speedsters. I hear footsteps closer now. "You still talk too much. She grabs me by my shirt and we go into the portal.
I am back to where I was in the abandoned subway station. I look around me. Where is the girl? I look at my arms and there are scars on my arms. Except these are not from cuts, they are invisible. They are as if parts of me are disappearing.
"Gwen are you okay?" Alejandro Grandpa runs to me with worried written all over his face. He looks at my arms and he notices these unusual scars.
"I...have to go," I run out this time without time traveling. I take a taxi to the hospital. I need to see how my sister is. I arrive at the hotel a few minutes later and rush inside. I take the elevator to the highest floor. I rush to the hospital room. When I walk in, I see my sister watching TV and...smiling. I think to myself, she is going to be alright.
"Where have you been?" She raises her eyebrows.
"Did you eat?"
"Yeah," She smiles.
"That's good"
"I woke up a while ago and I feel like going back to bed," I put the blanket over here and she falls asleep instantly. I sit on the couch. I notice my arms. They are becoming pale. I begin to cough. Then I hear the hospital machine beep. It's not any type of beat. It's her heartbeat. She doesn't have any. It's a flatline. I reach for the button to call the nurse. I press it repeatedly. I get out of the room and call the nurse. No one is here. The beeping continues. Why isn't anyone coming? I see Doctor Jung come running down the call.
"Please save her doctor," I beg with my eyes as Doctor Jung. She starts CPR. The nurses finally come and help. I stand against the wall. Please save her. I can't lose another person I cant. I can't deal with losing someone else. I can't live that way. I just can't. It's been two minutes and still a flatline. "Why is her heart not beating yet?" I yell. My nerves are getting to me. I begin to panic.
"Miss. Rio please leave the room," Doctor Jung says as she a nurse comes through the door bringing a defibrillator.
"No!" She signals two of the many nurses to grab me after my response. "Let go," I say as the nurses begin taking me out of the room. "Let me go," I cry not wanting to be away from my sister. I kick my legs but since the nurses are tall, I can't reach the floor. My shirt gets pulled back and I fall into someone's arms.
"You need to get out of here," Someone says as me to his back and picking me up. His voice is familiar. The nurses stare as he runs down the hallway. My legs hanging as he takes me down the hall. I become dizzy. My eyes begin to close. I reach my hand out and when I look at it, my hand disappears for a second. Huh? I hear the flatline ring through my ears from the hospital room. Gabriella. Please be okay.
-
I wake up in a strange place. I am sleeping on a mat. I get up and look around me. I am in a traditional Korean house. I see clothes places next to the mat. A simple pair of grey sweatpants and a sweater. I reach for the clothes but the more I stretch the more my body hurts. I can do this. I am not weak. I can defeat this pain. I quickly grab the clothes in an instant. A pain in my back causes me to fall back on the mat. The wooden-like door that is covered with an old type of paper opens. I lift my head to see who it is. It's Alejandro's Grandpa. I fall back feeling the pain strike my back.
"Gwen," He runs to my side. He puts his hand on my forehead. "You have a fever," He sees the clothes still in my hand "Don't change right now," He leaves the room and comes back with what seems like a wet towel. He comes to me and places the towel on my forehead.
"What is wrong with me?" He focuses on putting the towel on my forehead. "Why did I see my hand disappear?"
"I told you..." He mumbles under his breath. "I told you to tell me if something went wrong with you," He says in a low rough voice.
"I-"
"Now look where we are," He pauses, "I am trying to keep you safe and healthy. Can't you understand this?" He sighs, "I'm trying to do this for Alejandro"
"You didn't answer my question," I grunt as my body begins to hurt.
"You are not well right no-"
"That did not answer my question"
"Remember when I mentioned the research from Alejandro's mom could help me find a cure. A way to save you?"
"I do," I knew there was something about that statement that made me nervous.
"You spend so much time caring about others that you don't care about yourself. When you travel through time you don't focus on what happens to you but you focus on what happens to others. You have fainted from malnutrition but not only that... as you said before...you are disappearing...and it's because of the lost memory you remembered along with the death of your loved ones, all this stress...it's doing things to your body. Your body can't take it" My heart feels as if it's being stepped on. I'm sick? All of a sudden I remember my sister.
"Gabriella. Where is she?"
"She died," He turns his face away from me.
"W-What did you say?" I began to shed tears. This cant be. The medicine was supposed to help her. She is supposed to be alive. I sob. I sob. Not just for her but for everyone that has left my life, those who betrayed me, all the people that I caused their death, and myself. I have failed to keep my family safe, Alejandro, and all those around me. I want to be alone. Alejandro's Grandpa faces me. He is crying. "I'm sorry for putting you in this mess," I wipe the tears off my cheeks.
"No. I want to thank you"
"Why me?" I have done nothing to help him.
"Just because," I think for a second. Even if he has been involved in my life, I never asked what his name is.
"What is your name?"
"Alejandro," A sudden tear falls out my eye hearing that name, remembering the pain I saw in his eyes, a pain caused by me. "You can call me Grandpa"
"Grandpa"
"Yes"
"How is Alejandro?" I blurt out.
"I haven't talked to him. He must be shocked just like you were. Especially because it was his mother"
"Can you at least call him for me?"
"I have called him plenty of time and he has not responded"
"Please just try one more time," He takes his phone out of his pocket. I hear the finger begin to ring. "Let me speak to him first if he answers okay?" I nod my head in agreement.
"Hello," I hear on the other side of the line.
"Alejandro"
"What do you want?"
"Gwen..." Is he going to- "She is sick." Yup. "I don't care how you feel right now because you aren't the only one. Gwen is sick because of this. That memory"
"I don't care," Come through the phone.
"How dare you say that?"
"She is the one who caused my mom's death." I did. "She caused everything." I did. "My life is falling apart because of her." It is. I'm sorry. "I know my mom did bad things. But! She was my mom!" That's true. Maybe if I hadn't shown up outside your house, at your playground, in front of you then you would be happy right now. And maybe if I hadn't shown up that day we would have never met. Would that have been fine with you? Do you regret knowing me?
"It's not her fault. Now come see her. Ya Imma. At least, do that...Alejandro"
"Don't call me again. I am going to change my number so next time you call it will be a complete stranger. From this moment forward I want nothing to do with you or her," The phone hangs up. My heart drops hearing these words. Not just for me but Grandpa. He is standing there motionless. He turns to look at me. Tears in his eyes. I can't stand seeing him like this. I get on my knees.
"Grandpa...let me go...let me disappear out of your life...out of everyone's life...I think that would be better..." His eyes open but it doesn't look like it is because of what I said. I peak at my body and it is disappearing. This time not for a second. Grandpa bends his knees in front of me. He wipes the tears off my face.
"You can't...you see...you are not well...I can't let you go now. You are a daughter to me." That word 'daughter' makes me feel not alone in this world after all. My body begins to appear again"I don't have the recipe to make a cure yet," He puts both his hands around my hand "But I am trying. I am going to find one. Okay?"
"Okay," I swipe my hands through my curly hair.
"I am going to brink porridge for you to eat," I nod my head. He leaves the room. I lay face flat on the mat. I need to see Alejandro.
2 years later
It's him. The face I never wanted to see again.