by Lilly Mance
“Damn,” I said, counting Zack’s maximum age. 2156 minus 2091 equals 65. Knowing your end date must be hard to live with.
Ethan flashed a faint smile, and continued, “Soon afterwards, two factions had formed, one that wanted to continue changing events until they found a way to stop it, and the other that didn’t want more people to perish. We’re the second faction, and call ourselves the temporal guards.”
“And what am I supposed to do as a temporal guard?” I smirked, not believing a word he had said. Somehow, it all felt surreal.
“We track down opposing members, and stop them in their efforts. Zack will tell you the rest when he comes back.” Ethan stood up, saluted, and vanished.
“Zack?” I muttered.
“Yes,” he said.
“Did I fall asleep?” I said, staring at the distance.
“No,” he kissed my cheek. All of a sudden, his eyes widened, and he pressed his lips hard.
“What is it?”
“Don’t panic,” he said clenching his jaw.
“I wasn’t gonna, but now that you’ve––” I didn’t finish. Zack started flickering in and out. I screamed “NO!” but all I could see was his terrified face vanishing from my view with inaudible I’m sorry mouthed.
He was gone. I crashed down to the ground, slamming my fists. The pain that gripped my chest was the strongest I had ever experienced. It had the intensity to rip my ribcage apart, and pierce my lungs. I didn’t want to fight it, I wanted it to finish me off, I wanted to die. I curled on the ground, feeling my limbs giving in, and my mind shutting down.
~*~
Chapter #14
I pried my eyes opened, squinting and blinking. I wasn’t on the ground anymore, that’s for sure. Something much softer was under my head, and ground-hard under the rest of my body. My vision gradually adjusted, opening a view of the park in front of me. I stirred.
“Easy,” said a voice I couldn’t recognize, tucking my hair back. My head was in that someone’s lap on the bench. I tried to lift myself up, but the voice said “Stay put,” and held me back with a strong hand. I gave in. I didn’t have a reason to get up anyway. “He’ll be back in a minute,” the voice said.
“Who?” I muttered.
“Zack.”
I jumped up, violently, collapsing back down. The park spun, but I managed to recognize Ethan’s face.
“I told you to stay put,” he smirked, steadying me back into his lap.
“Where is he?” I breathed, still dizzy.
“He had to go and hit something,” Ethan chuckled, patting my back. “Your almost-dead body in his arms didn’t quite make him wanna hug the world, you know.”
I tried to smile, but then I heard footsteps. Not to make the same mistake again, I straightened myself up slowly. Zack’s face lit up, and he rushed into my embrace almost spilling a glass of smudgy water. His firm grip pushed the little breath I had left in my lungs, but I didn’t care. He was here.
“I was gone only for a moment, and you die on me,” he smiled, taking a better look at my face.
“I thought I lost you,” neglecting Ethan’s presence, I kissed him with all that I had.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Ethan huffed, and turned his head away.
We stopped kissing, and I said, “I don’t want you to go back. What if something goes wrong, and I lose you forever?”
Zack chuckled, “I went home, and came back,” he smoothed his thumb over my lower lip. “Sorry. I’m still rusty, so I didn’t pinpoint my return to the exact moment I had left.”
I narrowed my eyes into tiniest slits, “You did what?!”
“Yeah,” Ethan interjected. “We went home, had a little chat, and came back.”
“Whoa,” was all I said, trailing off into the moment when Zack flickered out.
“Here,” Zack handed me the glass, “It’s sugar water.”
Still confused, I took a sip. “That means you won’t die, we can be together, and you have your memories back?” It finally dawned on me after downing half of that smudgy water.
“Aha,” Zack flashed a smug grin, leaning back on the bench, draping one arm around me.
“Yeah, he remembers stealing you for me,” Ethan chuckled.
Zack glared at him, “Shut up!”
But Ethan wouldn't, “I got you as an assignment, but as soon as he saw you, he switched our envelopes when I wasn't looking,” Zack bowed his head, and tucked a hand in his pocket, his cheeks flushing, but Ethan continued. “He didn't know I had already taken a peek at my next mission, and now he owes me for allowing it to happen.”
“Jerk,” Zack smiled, and peeked sideways at me, his cheeks flushing. I cracked a smile.
“So, tell me more about that Sophie chick,” Ethan darted his glance toward me.
“Sophie?” I looked at Zack, confused, and then back at Ethan.
“I owe him, remember?” Zack winked, and then turned to Ethan. “I gave you her address. Scan her frequencies, and we'll meet tomorrow with her if she has necessary predispositions.”
“You're getting Sophie into this?” My mouth dropped.
“If she's a good material, we'll give her the same choice as you,” Zack said, crossing his fingers down my cheek bone.
“And if she's cute, Zack will be off the hook,” Ethan flashed a sly grin, his hazel eyes twinkled at the prospect of that happening.
“She is,” I chuckled. “But I don't remember you giving me any choices. Actually, you dropped your futuristic bomb, and left me hanging. I don't understand any of this.”
“You will,” Zack tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and placed his head on my shoulder, his nose tickling my neck. “I'll explain everything after this creep goes away,” he moved away to look at Ethan menacingly. In a best friends type of menace.
“Okay, I get it. You want to be alone,” Ethan huffed, getting up from the bench. “Tomorrow,” he pointed two fingers toward his eyes, then Zack's, and left.
Zack chuckled, and turned my chin toward him. His face got serious all of a sudden, searching my eyes for something. He closed his eyes, and lowered his forehead on mine, our noses touching. Sweet scent of his breath stirred my sleeping butterflies. He took my hands in his, inhaled a huge gulp of air, and then opened his eyes, staring strongly into mine. “Lyra,” he said, his voice enchanting, his gaze fixed on mine, “I think I—” His lashes swept up and down, “No, I know I—” his lips curled ever so slightly, “What I'm trying to say is—” He cupped my face, detaching from my forehead, hypnotically staring at me, “I love you.”
Eyes wide open, I drew a sharp breath, but faster than I could utter a word, he kissed me like there was no tomorrow. For a few moments, I tried to break free, to tell him that I felt the same, but he wouldn't let go. He wouldn't allow me to speak by deepening the kiss, and pressing me tighter against him. The force behind his kiss was overwhelming, subduing me completely to his will.
As all things come to an end, so did his insatiable kissing. He broke off, placing a few smaller kisses on my lips, as if he was trying to mend them after that forceful kissing he had bestowed upon me.
“Zack,” I said.
“Shh,” he placed a finger over my mouth. “I know.”
“No, you don't,” I opposed, taking his finger off my lips.
“I do. I feel it. I feel your love, and it makes me lose my mind,” his dark green eyes sparkled electric green.
I smiled, “Why don’t you want me to say it?”
A devilish grin climbed up to his eyes, “We have to get you home,” he glanced at his watch, if that was a watch at all. It looked like a silver bracelet, tightly plastered on his wrist, with strange characters displayed all over it. “Or your parents will send a search party after you.”
I snorted, noticing he was dressed differently. He was back in those black cargos he wore the first time I saw him, and that blue V-neck Tee with letters TGA embroidered on his chest.
“You have to. I’ll come by later to explain
everything.”
~*~
Back at home, Mom and Dad were watching TV, comfortably slumped on a couch, acknowledging my presence with two nods, and not removing their glances from the screen. Mom mumbled something about dinner in the stove. I knew I had to be hungry, but I didn’t feel it. Not to raise any flags, I decided to force-feed myself.
My world had just been through a pole shift, and Mom and Dad were clueless. Nothing changed for them, and everything changed for me. My worst nightmare, losing Zack, was now a mere memory, and that filled me with happiness. But. All that other stuff about temporal guards, war, time travel—I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. I looked at my palm at the lifeline splitting at the end, wondering if it meant I would be taking that road, or did it signify a choice. I smoothed my palm over the lifeline. Was it always meant to be this way?
I informed Mom and Dad that I was tired, and went to retire in my room. As soon as I opened the door, Zack cracked a smile from my bed. My heart did a jingle.
“I didn’t expect you till much later,” I said, closing the door behind me.
“I don’t have my Lyra radius anymore,” Zack was grinning wide.
“No?” My mouth formed a circle, and stayed in that position. I felt a bit sad that he wasn’t bound to me anymore, but at least he didn't have to go to the end of his radius to get snapped here.
“No. But my heart does,” he started toward me, “And it cannot stay away from you for more than five minutes.” He put his arms around my waist, his head slightly tilted, with a broad smile. I couldn’t help, but grin. He was so sweet.
“Wanna tell me more about stealing missions from Ethan?” It itched to get out ever since Ethan had mentioned it.
“Erm, no,” Zack turned away, and sat down on my bed, his cheeks flushed.
“Oh, come on. I wanna know,” I joined him on the bed, folding hands in my lap.
“Ethan said it all,” he said, gazing at a spot on the floor.
“He didn’t say why you did it,” I tilted my head, smiling.
Zack let out a long sigh, then nudged his head toward me. “You enjoy torturing me, don’t you?” I just chuckled, so he said, “You know why,” and he kissed me, long and soft. Relaxed, without haste that usually colored our kisses in fear of it being our last. “Let’s move on to more serious matters,” he said, after a while.
“Okay, fill me in on that temporal guard thing,” I said, telling my butterflies to settle down till later.
“This is the thing,” Zack started pacing. “First of all, I’m not in a coma anymore. That means I have more freedom to move around, and I occupy a slightly different realm than when I was in coma.”
“But, everything looks the same to me,” my eyes bulged.
“I know, that’s why I’m telling you that it’s not. I can jump to other times, and places at will. But we’ll leave it at that at the moment.”
“Okay.”
“Next, my body is in my original space-time. It’s frozen in a cryobox, hidden away from anyone that might harm it. I have a total of sixty-five years to live in any time or space, because my body will perish in 2156. Twenty-two have already passed.”
I gulped. “Can’t you move your body to an earlier time?”
“No. We haven’t figured that out, yet. Every time traveler’s body is bound to its chronological, linear time, like it has a sand clock running in that time-space, and once it runs out, you're gone no matter which time-space you reside in,” he chuckled, not at all bothered by that fact.
“Jesus,” I breathed.
“That’s the reason we’re looking for new temporal guards that were born in earlier centuries. If our opposing party changes history again, that will move the end date closer, potentially wiping Ethan, me, and other TGAs from existence.”
“Oh my God!” I shrieked. “But, but—”
“I know. We’re not safe yet,” a sour smile crossed his face, “We need you, and others like you to take our place if the worst should happen. So far, we’ve managed to stop them.”
“I’m sorry Zack, but if that happens, I’ll join the changing history team,” I sputtered. Zack looked at me shocked, and then I said, “What would you do? Accept that I’m gone?” I demanded, and he shook his head. “Neither will I. I’ll join those that change history to get you back.”
“Hold your horses,” Zack grabbed my hands, “Before you let your emotions guide you, hear me out. There’s a lot at stake.”
“Like what?”
“Before we can proceed, you’ll have to try to move your consciousness to my realm on your own. If you can make it happen, then I’ll use this gadget,” he took out a little, square patch out of his pocket, and held it up for me to see. “It will stabilize you in my realm until you can manage to ground yourself.”
“In English, please,” I grimaced.
Zack chuckled, “It will make sense further down the road. When you do succeed, we’ll have to build a cryobox for your body—”
“—what?” I cut him off. It hadn’t crossed my mind, although he was saying it all along.
Zack bowed his head, biting his lip, “That’s the hard part. If you decide to take this road with me, you’ll have to be dead to your parents and everyone you know. It's the rule all time-travelers all have to follow.”
My heart stopped for a moment. Numbness crept up from my toes to the top of my head. Dread gripped my stomach. “I can’t do that to my parents, Zack,” I looked at him, surprised that he even considered that option. My lower lip trembled.
“I’m not asking you to do it. I’m just telling you how things are, so you can make an informed decision.” He sat behind my back, spreading his legs along side of mine, locking his arms around my waist, and leaning his head on my shoulder. I placed my hands over his on my belly, and pressed my cheek against his, staring at nothing in particular.
“You don’t have to decide anything right now,” he said after a few moments.
“I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that I have to choose between my parents and you,” I darted my gaze toward him. “It is that kind of choice, isn’t it?” He nodded, his head still on my shoulder. “I can’t keep you both?” He shook his head, and sighed heavily.
“I wish you could,” sadness flickered in his gaze, “You are choosing for both of us. I'm bound by the rules I have to follow. I will respect your decision even if it’s not in my favor. That’s how much I love you,” he kissed my cheek. “Believe me, I'd give anything to come and live here with you,” he bowed his head, “But I don't have a say in it. I'd be stripped of time-traveling privileges if I tried. That would make me stuck in my time and you in yours.”
I turned around, and knocked him down on his back, then spread my body over his, resting my head on his chest. His arms locked on my back, his heart rhythmically beating under my ear. “Tell me more,” I said, flipping my head around, placing my chin on his chest.
Zack folded his arms behind his head, “About what?”
“You stopped at building a cryobox,” I reminded him.
“After we build it, we have to find a safe spot where it will be secured for a long time. You go into stasis, switch to this realm, and then we activate the cryobox to freeze your body.”
“What happens if it malfunctions?”
“You wake up,” he chuckled.
“Why didn’t you wake up? You ended up in a coma,” I furrowed a brow.
“Because that wasn’t a malfunction. It was sabotage,” he grimaced. “Look. I’m not gonna pretend it’s 100% safe. It’s not. But it’s not more dangerous than a normal life, either.”
“Okay, and then what?” I rolled off of him, adjusting to a new position on my back.
“Then we jump through space and time in search of changes made by our opponents,” he moved to his side, propped on an elbow, resting his head on his palm.
“What do we do when we see a change?” I asked, rubbing my weary eyes.
“We fix it,” he cracked a smile. “It ta
kes a lot of effort, and intelligence to do it. It’s not easy. Neither side can kill or harm anyone; all we can do is talk to people to persuade them to do something.”
“Like you did with the nurses?”
“Yes. But, insignificant things like opening a folder that I wanted will go smoothly. On the other hand, if you tried to talk Hitler out of making Hell on Earth, you couldn’t. It’s been done, and he never moved away from his initial plan. His own will power was stronger than any influence from our side.”
“So you’re like good and bad angels whispering to people,” I chuckled.
“Exactly,” he chuckled as well. “But I wouldn’t call our opponents bad. We’re both good angels with difference in opinion.”
“I'm sure the Devil would argue the same,” I snorted. “Since they’re your opponents, I figured they were the bad guys.”
“To become a time traveler, you have to have a certain level of ethics and moral. That excludes bad people, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so,” I scratched my temple.
“Both sides have good arguments. Their side wants to get all those people that perished back to life by fixing history. Our side doesn’t want more people to perish, because there are no guarantees that it can be fixed, and end-time gets nearer and nearer at each attempt. It’s a moral dilemma! Who can say the one side it good, and the other bad?”
“Hmm, but you said before that realms are under intelligent design. Is that still true? Now that you have your memories back.”
“Yes. We must be allowed to play this giant temporal chess with high stakes by some intelligence, or we wouldn’t be able to do it at all. My guess is that whoever allows it to happen, wants us to learn something out of it. When we do, time might continue past 2222, or 2156 as it is now.”