by C J M Naylor
I was shaking. I wanted to push him. I wanted him to make it right.
"Phillip is dead," I yelled. "My mother and father are dead. If I hadn't decided to go on this path, they would still be alive."
"How do you know that, Abby? Your choice doesn't affect what happens to them. Time didn't kill them. Bombs killed them. War killed them. The hate of one man killed them. Not you. Not your choices. Not time."
He sounded like Phillip as he said it, and my heart ached.
"I could have saved them!"
"No, you couldn't have!" He was yelling now too. "You have to let them choose their path. The gifts you've been given, the gifts that have been given to us, are given to us so we can keep things in check. We keep time in check. We keep the Time Line in check; we keep the clockwork in check. We aren't responsible for humanity. They are responsible for themselves. They have to be allowed to have free will and make their own decisions. Phillip decided to be at the library tonight, your mother decided to go back in that house. Hitler decided to bomb London. If we interfere with their free will, regardless of the reason, what does that make us? We are not God. We are Timekeepers. We don't have power over others. We have the ability to keep things in check. It isn't a power."
I knew he was right. I knew everything he was saying made sense. I knew from my upbringing that God gave man the will to act freely. I couldn't choose what my mother or father did. I couldn't decide for Phillip. No one could decide for me. We all decided for ourselves, but that still made it hard. To know that people would die, to have to watch them die, to not be able to have the ability to do anything about it.
"Why would people be given such an ability to live with?"
"Why are people given disease? Why are handicapped people handicapped? Why are people supposed to live with suffering? Everyone is given some burden to live with. But if you are a strong and live through it, I believe you will be rewarded in the end."
It was the same thing that my mother had told me. And until I had endured the suffering, I really hadn't known what it meant. I had thought hearing voices was my own personal suffering, but that was nothing compared to what I felt in my chest now. It was nothing compared to what I had endured over the past few weeks.
"I can make it through this," I finally said, "but I need you to be my father, not my teacher. Can you do that?"
"I can try. I promise you that Abby. I will try."
I began to cry. My father came forward and held me in his arms. He protected me.
A few hours later, we sat alone in the study. He was reading while I was curled up on the couch, beneath a warm blanket. The fireplace continued to roar with the crackling fire. I thought about how far I had come. How far I still had to go. I thought about how anything can change your life in a matter of seconds. In that moment, I truly believed life was meant to go a certain way, that things were meant to happen. That was how life worked. I knew that Phillip had lived his life. I knew I was never meant to marry him, but only be a short segment of his life. I knew I was meant to be raised by Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, my mother and father. But I knew that they were meant to die when I was only eighteen. They were meant to die in a war that had claimed the lives of other children's parents. I was thankful I had gotten to know them for eighteen years, because I knew that other children would lose a parent after having only known them for half of that. I was thankful I had found out about my father and the truth about my mother. I was thankful a man like Phillip had come into my life and changed it for the better. I knew that there was another man out there who would continue to change my life. I knew I had yet to meet him.
Finally, I knew my father loved me. I knew he wanted to get to know his only child, his daughter. I knew he would do anything to protect me, and he would be there for the tragic events that had rocked my life. I knew I loved him. I knew I forgave him for lying to me. I had to. Love was his reason for lying and while that may not be a good enough reason, people made mistakes. Love is something every person knows, or they should. It is something that is shared. It is something binding.
As I looked at my father, I admired the features that reminded me of myself. I knew I loved him. But in only that look, my life would once again change.
The click of heels against floor sounded. My father looked up from his book and I turned my head to see a tall, stern-looking woman walking down the hallway. She had hair as black as the night sky, and it was pulled back into a bun so tight it looked like her face was being stretched with it. She was in her forties, very thin, and wore a gray dress that covered her from neck to toe, as well as boring black heels.
"Councilor Headrick."
I looked over at my father and then back at the woman. She was a part of the council. This visit wouldn't be a good one.
"Hello, Mathias," the woman said. She didn't sound mean or angry. I thought I detected sadness or sorrow in her face. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
My father stood up from his chair, leaving the book sitting on it.
"The council has voted me in after the death of Councilor Winston. I have been monitoring your activity with Abigail since the initiation. Due to recent events, I believe it is in her best interests if she was reassigned to a Timekeeper to whom she has no relation."
My father sighed.
"What if I don't want to be reassigned?"
I stood up. I was angry again. I wanted to know why this was necessary. Was my father not good enough to train me? Did he do something wrong? Did I do something wrong?
The councilor looked at me. "Abigail, it is important for a Timekeeper to stay outside of the Time Line. You must not be involved in any way. Every beginning Timekeeper starts out with difficulties. You almost allowed yourself to die in place of the person fated to die."
"Why does it matter if I want to sacrifice myself?" I left out the fact that I knew I was an original Timekeeper—I figured that was information to keep between Mathias and I.
"It matters," she responded. "We shouldn't interfere, regardless if the circumstances would affect others or not."
"But why do I need to leave Mathias? He didn't do anything."
"I didn't stop you." My father had spoken and I turned to look at him. He looked at me and smiled. "It is my duty to prevent you from changing anything, regardless of whether you want to or not. But I shouldn't have let you go."
"But you let me go because you love me," I responded.
"And that is why you are being reassigned," Councilor Headrick said. "A conflict of interest. The job that Timekeepers have is crucial. Free will is part of nature; you cannot try and take that away from someone. You almost did. If you had been with a Timekeeper with whom you had no relations, this would not have occurred. We cannot risk it happening again. You are being reassigned to America. You will leave tomorrow."
I opened my mouth to argue back, but Mathias stepped in front of me and began to speak.
"Councilor, if it isn't too much to ask, perhaps give Abigail a few more days. At least allow her to stay until after the funeral of her fiancé."
The councilor turned around and appeared as if she was thinking about Mathias' request. But I didn't allow her to speak. I had to speak for myself.
"What if I stop being a Timekeeper?" I asked. "Can I remain here with Mathias?" He was the only person I had left, I couldn't leave him.
Once again, Mathias interrupted before the councilor could speak and he turned to look at me.
"Abigail, please don't do this. I'm sorry I lied to you, but you've chosen who you are now." He pulled me into his arms and held me like a father should. "I know you will be safer there from everything."
I began to cry and didn't say anything more. I would go.
"She can remain until the funeral," Councilor Headrick said. "I will be there to pick her up immediately afterwards, so please have her luggage ready. Notify me of the date of the funeral, as well as the location. I will not discuss this further."
The councilor turned and left. I stood there, speechl
ess. I couldn't even begin to understand what had just happened. I felt like my father and I had come so far and in the space of a few minutes, and now we were being ripped apart. Why, for once, couldn't I win?
Later that day, I was in one of the guest bedrooms. Mathias and I had just returned from Phillip's apartment, where I had collected the remaining things I had. There wasn't much, as many of my things were destroyed after the air raid on my home. After that, I contacted Phillip's parents, but someone from the library had already contacted them. They informed me of the funeral date and that it would be back in Glasgow. My father said he would go with me and that the councilor would be there. I packed what I had left and my father provided me with enough money to be on my own.
I sat in front of a vanity mirror in the room and I stared at myself. There was a slight cut on my head that was still healing from the injuries I had gained the week before. My leg was still in pain from being freshly stitched up. A knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," I said.
The door opened with a squeak and Ian walked in, shutting it behind him.
"I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner," he said. "I figured you needed to be alone with Mathias."
"That's okay." I looked back at my expression in the mirror. My eyes were red and my cheeks were pale.
Ian walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm here for you, as a friend. And I wanted to ask, well, if I could come with you."
I looked up at him.
"To America?"
He nodded.
"I have nothing here," he said. "My family has been gone for some time and I think it would be important for you to at least know someone there. And I also thought, well, I brought someone to see you—Mathias permitted it, just this once."
I gave him a questioning look, but before I could say anything, he opened the door to the bedroom and stuck his head in the hallway. And then he pulled the door wide open and Bridget entered the room. My heart raced when I saw her. She didn't look angry with me. She ran straight to me and knelt down at the chair.
"I believe you," she whispered.
"Seeing is believing," I responded.
She nodded and tears began to escape her eyes. I knew she knew about Phillip and I knew she wouldn't say anything. Instead, we just held on to each other. Because in that moment, I wasn't alone—in that moment, I had Bridget and I had Ian, and that was enough.
That night, after talking with Mathias, it was decided Bridget and Ian would come with me to America. After the funeral, Councilor Headrick would pick us up and we would depart on a ship with passage to New York City. And from New York, we would be going to San Francisco, California—the location of the American Headquarters. The thought of going to a new country was frightening, but it also seemed enlightening.
I was already preparing to pack, and as I did, I found the letter Phillip had written. My heart raced, as it had done many times over the past week. The letter was to be read on our wedding night or—of course—if something had happened. I took a deep breath and broke the seal of the envelope. Carefully, I unfolded the letter and began to read.
Dear Abigail,
I cannot believe we are finally together—married. I want you to know I know I can be an arse. I know you hate that I have a filthy tongue. I also know I can be a tad bit jealous—okay, maybe a lot. But I want you to know what I love about you is that you continue to love me even though I have those vices. That is why I fell in love with you. You always try to find the best in a person. Even when they are at their worst, you always try to figure out a way to make it better for them. I realize that is what you were doing when you surprised me with the visit to Glasgow, and I am honestly thankful. Because of you, my father is getting the help he needs. Because of you, my mother is out of a situation I worried she would be in for the rest of her life. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Speaking of life, that brings me to my next point.
If you are reading this, not because we are married, but because something has happened to me, I want you to know that life goes on. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, and maybe not even over the next year. But eventually, you WILL find someone who will love you and take care of you the way you deserved to be loved and taken care of. I'm sorry that person couldn't be me. If I could come back, I promise I would be that person. But I can't come back. Unfortunately, that is how life works. Please do not give up hope. There is so much out there for you and you have so much potential. I know you'd love to have me along for the ride, and I'd love to be there. But God works in mysterious ways.
So, to conclude, do what you want to do in life. Be what you want to be. Don't be something just because someone else tells you to be. Be it because you want to. Keep going.
Seriously...keep going.
Love,
Phillip
I placed the letter, now wet with my tears, down in front of me. I knew everything would be fine. In a couple of days, I would be starting a new journey. And, like Phillip had said, I would not be over his death or my parents’ deaths tomorrow. Or the next day. Or maybe even in a year. But I had to keep fighting. I had to keep up the fight.
In that moment, I chose to keep going.
The Story Continues in
WITHIN DARKNESS
Buy now on Amazon!
Six months have passed since Abigail Jordan learned the secrets of her biological mother’s death. However, even with the truth, more secrets are revealed. Abigail now knows that her mother was protecting her from something far worse than simply becoming a Timekeeper, and upon her move to San Francisco, she attempts to leave all of that behind her and start over, by staying away from the world of the Timekeepers altogether.
However, even for Abigail, staying away doesn’t prove to be an option. After having multiple occurrences of hallucinations and threatening voices within her mind, Abigail seeks the help of the American Timekeeper, Thomas Jane. But as Thomas and Abigail begin looking for answers, they start to unravel a secret that Elisabeth Callaghan meant to take to her grave; a secret that will change the world as they know it.
In this riveting, exciting sequel to THE TIMEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER, Abigail Jordan will once again have her loyalties challenged and be put to the test in more ways than she can imagine. For Abigail, the world of the Timekeepers is about to get even bigger, but the secrets that she uncovers might just prove to be the destruction of them all.
For the Readers
With any creation, a person needs critical feedback to get better at their craft. If you took the time to do any, or all, of the following, I would appreciate it:
1. Leave an honest review on Amazon. Reviews are important for an author, especially a debut author. If you took the time to leave a short and honest review, I would greatly appreciate it!
2. Leave a review on Goodreads. Click here to access the page for the novel.
3. Follow me on my website (www.cjmnaylor.blogspot.com).
4. Follow my Facebook author page (www.facebook.com/cjmnaylor) or my Facebook page for the series (www.facebook.com/thetimekeepersdaughter).
5. Follow me on Twitter @cjmnaylor (www.twitter.com/cjmnaylor).
Finally, if you are interested in keeping up to date on all things relating to The Timekeeper’s Daughter, please consider sending me an e-mail ([email protected]), and I will add you to an e-mail list where you can easily get information about upcoming books. I might also need beta readers as well, so this would be an opportunity for you to possibly get a chance at doing that.
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read my novel.
Best regards,
C.J.M. Naylor
Acknowledgments
I honestly cannot believe this book is finished. Furthermore, I cannot believe it is self-published. If there were anyone in the world that doubts themselves and their ability to do things, it would be me. But regardless of that, there are so many people who helped make this happen and I am truly thankful to them.
First, I would like to thank my grandmother, Paula. She is no longer with our family on this earth, but I know she is watching over us. If there was ever a woman who could love a person unconditionally, it was her. She never judged. She always loved. And she taught lessons that were worth teaching. She, along with my other grandmother and my parents, was one of my first teachers in life. She is a prime example of why blood doesn’t make you family, but those who stand by you.
Unfortunately, she died long before I was finished writing this story. The pain of losing her was unbearable, especially because it was so sudden. The last words she said to me were, “I heard you were writing a book.” I told her yes, but like all of my other unfinished projects, I didn’t think it would be finished. She said something along the lines of “you should finish this one.” Her death had a profound impact on the way I viewed death, especially sudden death. And because of this, Abigail’s relationship with her adopted mother grew even stronger. I went back and reworked parts of the story. I can honestly say Annette Jordan is very similar to my late grandmother. But I want to thank her, because I truly believe she inspired me to finish this book, to tell a story, and to teach a lesson about how life goes on, even without the people that you love.