NOVA
BOOK 1 IN THE TIME BENDER SERIES
BY
ISABELLE CHAMPION
Text copyright © 2020 Isabelle Champion
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission from the author.
Book cover designed by BetiBup33
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
For my mother, who inspired my love for storytelling
Dear reader,
It’s hard to assign a specific genre to this book. But with its dystopian themes, I feel the need to put a disclaimer out there: the story is told from the point of view of the corruption itself. So much so that instead of being described as ‘morally grey’, Nova was once described as ‘light black’. Therefore, let it be known I don’t encourage stabbing, maiming, killing or throwing people off of buildings. Despite her lack of morals I hope you fall hopelessly in love with Nova’s dark humoured, sassy personality and follow her on her journey of self-discovery.
More importantly, I feel I should put a trigger warning here. There is some mention of sensitive topics such as rape, violence and suicide.
So now that we’ve met, I’ll shut the hell up and let you escape into a world of time travel, assassins, reincarnation and romance. I’ll see you on the other side...
PROLOGUE
So turns out I’m pretty awesome. Like superhero – god worthy kind of awesome. I’m guessing you’ve heard of reincarnation? You die, you get reborn blah blah blah life after death, whatever. Boring.
Well, I’ve been reincarnated more times than I can count. Sure, I don’t remember every single detail of all my lives so that’s kind of a let-down. But the fact I have hundreds of lives where I look exactly the same, have certain recurring themes, and can actually go travel to any life I choose, is pretty mind-blowing to most people.
I don’t know which person upstairs screwed up by bringing me into existence or giving me this power but I’m not complaining.
It’s complicated and I’m probably not as good at explaining it as Vix was but I know the basics so brace yourself for a headache.
It’s easy to think of it as a timeline. I live all my lives on this one continuous timeline, the end of it being the present. This is the Timeline. The timeline I come from. Now - there are other timelines - all parallel to mine. Some are shorter, some longer but the ends of each timeline are different presents - some seconds, minutes or years in difference.
I have the ability to visit any of these timelines presents providing I have a life during one of those moments and I’m not dead. Although I’ve organised the parallel timelines in a way that meant all the ones I’d visited before and hadn’t bent with my own - stayed far away - in the bin as I liked to think.
So yes it’s confusing. I have multiple lives (208 if we’re talking numbers) and there are multiple timelines (infinite amounts) - like parallel universes almost, but all usually remain the same as the past of my own timeline… providing us Time Bender’s don’t come along and mess with it.
Anyway, I can follow my Totem into a timeline with the present of the exact time I need and I essentially possess my past self. (What’s a Totem you might ask? I’ll get to that later). Bending time (or a timeline) is a whole other confusing topic and they don’t teach it at school… well, not that I’d know because I’ve been doing this since I was 10 and I was basically the first to discover changing the future by going into past lives.
Look it’s confusing which is why I’m trying to explain it before we get into the really juicy part. Your mind is either open to the “power” or it’s not. For example, it should be impossible to make changes in the past that cause the future to change, right? Because cause comes before effect, not effect before cause. Stay with me. Have you ever watched ‘Back to the Future’? Let’s say you travel to the past and meet your granddad when he was five, but for some reason you cause his death (dark). That would mean one of your parents would never exist, right? So you wouldn’t exist… Which would mean you wouldn’t have existed to kill him… so it would never have happened.
Alas, that’s because you aren’t a Time Bender. Sorry. Apparently, only these weird ass people who have past versions of themselves scattered around different timelines can slip between the loopholes of time travel and make changes.
Well, it’s a good thing there’s only a few of us who can do it that we’re currently aware of because it’d be pretty disastrous if one of us stepped out of line… ahem like I did but this is the story before that.
CHAPTER 1
Time: 22nd October 1921
Location: United States of America, New York
There are three main rules to Time Bending: Stay on your previous life’s path, be there no more than two days, and under no circumstances do anything too drastic. Yes, that means no blowing up people. Also, and I know I said three, but there’s one more crucial rule: know that time frame inside out.
This was a quick job. A simple find, kill, and get paid. The job wouldn’t be easy but there was a reason I was hired for it.
I knew how it worked. I’d been in the business long enough to know you could never make it simple without following the rules and still getting paid enough to maintain your reputation.
Trust your Totem and stick to the rules. Make it back alive. I’d done it a bunch of times before with no problem… Apologies, here I am going off on one and you probably have no idea what a Totem is. Not that I’d blame anyone for not knowing because I don’t even get the science behind it - but this is what I do know:
Your Totem was what kept you attached to the present. It was your only way of finding your way out of your past life and the only thing that gave me the courage to continue diving into the past and changing it every time without feeling guilty. Well, most of the time. The word Totem came from the Native Americans. They were animal guides of some kind. But seriously don’t ask me anything about how this shit works. I was never good at science and I definitely did not come up with a fancy-ass name like Totem.
My Totem was a blue light: the blue light surrounding the doorframe of the White Room in the present time. It was the blue light of a glittering jewel pinned to the hair of a woman whose name I’ll never discover in the year 1921. It was the blue light of a flame flickering in the depths of a fire in the year 1844. It was the blue light of a television screen in 1
979. It was every blue light in any random moment of my 208 lives and I only had to remember the light to go back in time. Either that or my Totem would just whisk me away to wherever I wanted to go - any date, any time of day I knew one of my past selves would be living in.
Thinking about it, I had a serious amount of lives. I like to think of myself as an ancient soul - moulded by experience. I’d had all kinds of adventurous lives. I’d fallen in love with women, men, and life itself. I’d been around since the Saxons, maybe even before that… hell - I’d probably never stop counting lives. There was still so much to be discovered about Time Bending and about what it meant.
This day was no different - just another insignificant (but significant enough to need killing) person. I caught the blue light in a flicker and started to draw myself toward it. Gradually, as though I’d been cured of blindness I could see my surroundings. A woman glided past me like a delicate and colourful butterfly, the same blue sapphire catching the light and twinkling in her hair. She laughed and held onto her companions arm as they exited the building.
New York in the 1920s: one of the most popular speakeasies - where some of the wealthiest gangsters gathered. It was said the owner was a cousin of Al Capone but nobody had ever met the owner and I was pretty sure no one really wanted too - they valued their lives too much. Not even I had and I’d gone back into this lifetime more times than I could count - for fun… and for business. Maybe more fun - the cocktails packed a pretty serious punch.
My mission that particular day was to find the owner and kill him before morning. I didn’t know the details on why this had to happen or how it affected my client so far in the future but I didn’t ask questions. I didn’t care to know anyway. It was probably one of the reasons I was employed to kill so often. I don’t want to come off as arrogant but I was the best. Better than all other six Time Benders combined with all their lives. I didn’t ask questions and lacked any conscience. People like that apparently.
As I entered the well-hidden speakeasy in a warehouse not far from the city I felt a sense of familiarity. The room looked like it was straight out of a casino from Las Vegas. There were the usual circular tables containing beautiful women dressed head to toe in their finest jewellery - their lips were pressed between cigarettes that men held for them like spoons. The smoke rose and misted between the faces of a colourful sea of people who all did their best to put on a facade of glam and fortune. I was literally living in The Great Gatsby.
Fake laughter echoed through the room but there was no question as to if they were having fun. These people wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the promise of alcohol and company - relying on those around them for a good night.
Welcome to the roaring twenties.
I glanced around the room, taking note of where people stood, realising the last time I had been here it hadn’t changed much. There were still the two identical twins wearing green, latched to the same gangster I’d never bothered learning the name of. On the table closest to the stage, there was a group of strangers exchanging names that I had heard every time. One male dressed in a bright blue suit took a sip of champagne and raised his eyes to meet my own.
His name was Charles and every time I had arrived into this life we had exchanged eye contact and every time I couldn’t bring myself to stop from looking at him at just the right moment. He was the one person I could remember everything about in this lifetime and usually I tried not to. Although for the sake of how Daisy’s life ended in the next week I had to introduce myself for what seemed like the hundredth time.
“Pardon doll, but I think you dropped this.” He swooped in beside me and I had to refrain from rolling my eyes and sticking a finger down my throat. Every time he would hand me a coin he had taken from his pocket - an excuse to talk to me.
Sure enough, when I held out my hand he placed a silver coin into my gloved palm, his other hand caressed my thumb.
“Does the pretty lady have a name?” He flashed me a smile, the dimple in his right cheek calling me closer and his eyes glowing cheekily, dangerously.
“Daisy,” I said, handing the coin back toward him. “This isn’t mine.”
Charles’ eyes creased and he flashed another white smile. “Well, keep it,” he said, wrapping my knuckles around the coin. “I hope to see you around, Daisy.”
I nodded my head with a small smile before turning my body away from him. Charles started to back away with a similar look he had when eyeing up a motorcar he wanted and I felt my stomach flip. Being the person I was today I wouldn’t look twice at him but I couldn’t ignore the history Daisy had with him and the connection he had to her death. It gave me a sense of thrill and danger anytime I was near him, which was exhilarating but annoying all the same.
I took a step back and pulled the sleeve of my gloves higher. Maintaining eye contact I winked cheekily. Daisy had a reputation here and I needed to maintain it if things weren’t going to change too much for her. Rule number one: stick to your old life’s past.
I turned my back on him, feeling his eyes follow my hips as I walked toward the bar. A weight was lifted off my shoulders as I saw Williams already pouring me a glass.
“What a sight for sore eyes,” I said, reaching over the bar and kissing the elderly man’s cheeks.
Every time I’d been here he had never failed to give me hope, he was something of a Totem himself.
“Ms Monroe, it’s been a whole week since I saw you!” he exclaimed, his familiar New York accent warming my chest.
“Miss me?”
“Always.” He slid the drink toward me and I folded my arms on the surface of the bar counting down in my mind until Charles’ hand landed on my shoulder.
Except it didn’t come. I paused for a moment, wondering if I had miscounted. It was common to be a second or two late but after a minute you could start worrying.
After tapping my foot impatiently, I realised he wasn’t coming and I felt a surge of irritation. What was I expecting to happen, for things to be simple every time in this life? Who gave a crap? Just get on with the mission.
Annoyed, I swivelled to face his direction only bumping into his chest when he came up behind me. I let out a shriek and he chuckled. Quickly I looked around the room to see if everything was rolling smoothly and sure enough nothing was out of time. I was the one who’d miscounted - a simple mistake and one the others wouldn’t take lightly. I figured I’d keep that out of the mission’s summary later, for the sake of my reputation.
Charles and I spoke for a moment, keeping to the script before he finally dismissed himself and I turned back to Williams. Daisy would see Charles again tomorrow and then she’d be on her rightful path to death. Boring.
“Hey, Williams?” I whipped my head around and gave him a warm smile. His aged eyes twinkled as he cleaned a glass. “I don’t suppose you know the owner and could introduce me?”
The old man gave a small smile. “No Ms.”
“You don’t know who your boss is?” I exclaimed, running a gloved finger around the rim of my glass, I leant forward raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“And you don’t know who the owner is by now?” Williams gave a short chuckle and slid a drink towards a couple standing by. I turned to face them flashing a quick smile, the man’s eyes widened and his face flushed red as he brought a hand to adjust his glasses and timidly smiled at me. The woman didn’t notice but instead watched a younger male behind her husband with a hungry look.
I rolled my eyes and took a sip, not much had changed from the twenties up to the present day.
“I can’t possibly get to know everybody here,” I replied, giving a small smirk and taking the last sip, feeling the alcohol rush to my head. “There’s not enough time in the world,” I continued, winking subtly and taking a step away from the bar.
I grinned. “I’ll see you soon darling.”
Williams nodded his head laughing. “Have a good night Daisy.”
I walked back into the rush of the crow
d and climbed the stairs. I leaned against the golden railing and cast my eyes across the room, my eyes catching on Charles who had cornered another stunning girl.
“Oh, for god’s sake,” I muttered under my breath, jumping at the feel of a hand on my wrist. I looked down at a red-gloved hand and followed my eyes up the arm to find a dancer I had seen performing on the stage regularly.
She wore a tight red dress that hugged her figure perfectly, I couldn’t help but appreciate her beauty. Her smile held a kind of naivety and innocence within it as though she hadn’t been exposed to the harshness of anything. Or perhaps she had been exposed to awful things and paid no attention to them - she was an open book in other words. I could see right through her deep blue eyes.
Her blonde hair was short and gelled up onto her head to match the other dancers and she had a small gap between her two front teeth, which gave her a quirky look. I’d never spoken to her before but I’d seen her every time I’d travelled back to this time.
“Your hair is absolutely stunning.” Her voice screamed New Jersey and her smile practically sparkled like a disco ball. I looked back at her hand which was still on my arm and snatched it away uncomfortably. I'd never liked people touching me and she gave me the impression of trouble.
“What colour is that? It’s almost silver,” she asked, taking a finger and wrapping it around one of my curls.
My hair was pretty unusual. It wasn't in any way close to grey but rather a silvery-white. As a young girl in all of my lives, my hair was always a faded white until it seemed to fade into some kind of striking silver. I’m sure I would have been self-conscious of it but gradually it became fashionable and I didn’t have to pay to have my hair dyed such a unique colour, which so many people did in the present.
The girl still had my hair curled between her fingers so I smiled tightly and leant back slightly. She seemed to follow me though, so I took a sudden step back landing into a firm chest.
NOVA: The Time Bender Series Book 1 Page 1