Her mouth dropped open in surprise and she cleared her throat. “Thanks for the help Nova-”
I stood up straight and cut her off with a sigh. “Okay relax. That might have been mean. But I really did come here to help. How’s it going?”
“Vix wants to kill him,” she mumbled with a sniff. She rose and stood between Landon and me protectively.
“There’s a difference between killing and pulling the cord on someone already gone.” I crossed my arms.
“We don’t know that-”
“There’s no sign of his Totem which means he’s lost it, which means there’s no way for him to get back.”
“Then I’ll go get him and he can follow mine back.”
“It has to be his own Totem for this. Besides you wouldn’t be able to find him, his body could even be dead in that life-”
“But his mind isn’t.”
“Then don’t you think he’d rather be at peace?” I replied stepping closer. Halo flinched and gripped Landon’s hand, watching his face closely.
“I can’t believe you’re on Vix’s side, you’ve both known Landon the longest,” she grumbled. And there it was. One of the many reasons Halo hated me. I belonged here, she was the new kid and she was jealous of my knowledge, my lives, my relationship with Landon and Vix she’d never have. As if being ten and staying up till the early hours of the morning listening to grown-ups talk and prod me with different stuff was fun.
“We have been bending time a lot. It was always bound to affect us.”
“So why aren’t you the one like this?” she snapped.
I thought back to the nosebleeds and seeing William from 1921 in my room, then swallowed the thought. “I’m younger. I don’t know.” I growled in frustration. “But now we know, Vix can find a way to help us when we start showing signs.”
“He didn’t show signs-”
“Yes, Halo. Yes, he did,” I replied with my eyes closed. I was starting to get annoyed by her persistence. “You can’t just sit here grooming him and waiting for him to wake up. He’s brain dead, you can’t go back from that.”
“Then we’ll find a way to fix him.”
“No!” I snapped finally. “No we won’t. There is no point in wasting time trying to find a way to fix him when there’s a chance we’ll all be erased by the Raven.”
And there she was, the real Nova. The one you only saw in person: the uncaring bitch.
Halo looked slightly taken aback by my outburst as I continued. “You don’t have to come tonight. Let the people who actually care about what will happen to us all if there’s an uncontrollable Time Bender out there handle it,” I said calmly, walking to the door before stopping and turning to her. “The longer you delay the inevitable the more he’ll be suffering, he’s trapped in his own mind, not just the past. Try to imagine how that feels.”
She didn’t look at me, just picked up a wet cloth and patted his forehead. I clenched my eyes shut, irritated. Then I closed the door shut and made my way down to the White Room.
I meditated for only a couple hours and there was still nothing. No Raven. Vix was busy plotting a timetable of when each of us had to meditate. My number was up three times as many as everybody else and for an hour longer than everyone else.
How long was he expecting this to take? The Raven had to show up in at least one of our timelines at least once.
So where were they?
“You’ve got a busy night tonight,” Vix mumbled with his hand on his chin as he analysed the screen in front of him.
“What’s the plan then?” Aeron asked.
“Get ready. We’ll make our way to the Dome and meet with the news interviewer, then you can go to the meeting downstairs.”
“We’ve never had to do an interview before,” Ace mumbled moodily. I sighed at the sound of his voice. He was still here. He hadn’t been taken in yet, much to the disappointment of Fynn and I.
“We’ve also never been doubted by the entire city,” Fynn replied to Ace’s comment with a roll of his eyes.
“They have no reason to doubt us,” Ace fired back.
“That’s the attitude buddy,” I sneered. “One of us has lost their Totem, another one is basically dead, another is grooming the dead person. And the rest of us can’t find the Raven.”
It was silent for a moment as everyone looked at the ground. Ace raised his head and glared at me. “Thanks for the optimistic input, Nova.”
“So…” Aeron interrupted the stare down between Ace and I. “How much are we allowed to say about the Raven tonight?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I know the Director personally so I asked for questions to direct only to Nova.” My ears perked up at the mention of my name and instantly my heart dropped. Why was it always me that had all the responsibilities? Typical.
“I want you to say a direct message to the Raven and the Rebellion. He’ll be watching as well as some of the city, people have actually been paying attention to the news, and they’ve been hyping up the fact you’re all doing an interview.”
“Interviews are stupid.” Ace rolled his eyes.
“You know what you have to do Nova?” Vix rubbed his eyes tiredly.
“Mhm yeah, I’ve got it.” Nope, I really didn't.
“When asked about the Raven you...?”
I...
I...
“I look at the camera and be like ‘Oh hi Mr Tweety Bird, you’ve pissed us off and I’m coming for you?’ Oooo suspenseful music.”
Vix let out a long sigh and looked up. “Something along those lines. Don’t tell him you’re going to find him. Tell him he has a chance to turn himself into the Time Benders where he belongs.”
“Another male Time Bender is much appreciated,” Aeron smiled to himself.
“The Presenter will do the rest,” Vix continued.
“Another one? Are four boys and only two girls not good enough for you?” Fynn asked.
“Yeah but you’re married,” Aeron replied. “And straight,” he added quickly.
Ace clasped Aeron’s shoulder, causing him to jump. “Well how about you do some meditating and you can meet him before Nova kills him?”
Aeron slammed his mouth shut and mumbled some excuse about leaving the oven on when we all knew he had a deathly fear of cooking as well as fearing this mission.
I crossed my arms frustrated. “Is that all Vix?”
“Yeah, go have fun and stick to your schedule,” he said without looking up from his screen. “Oh wait-” he said suddenly, looking up with a sombre expression. “If on the off chance they ask where Halo and Landon are, say they’re working on the Raven situation… and under any circumstances don’t say we haven’t found him yet.”
I nodded my head firmly before the door slid open. “You coming Ace?” I watched him cautiously as he stared at the wall.
“Huh?”
“Coming?”
“Sure.”
CHAPTER 10
Time: Present
Location: Prospect
“Could they not have been more careful with your precious face?” Gia shrieked as she smeared my face with makeup in an attempt to cover up the bruises and cuts plaguing my face.
“Pff, you should’ve seen what I did to them.”
“I did. I’m glad I’m not having to fix their-” she scowled at the makeup brush, “mess.”
My hairstylists were eagerly yanking at my hair with excited expressions. “So soft,” they moaned as they wrapped the silver strands around the curling wand.
When they weren’t complimenting my features, they liked to gossip. I didn’t mind since it was refreshing to separate myself from the past and who I was now. It was these moments I genuinely enjoyed: engulfing myself in the life of fame. The future was something to look forward to - providing you lived in Prospect. I doubted the Raven cared for dressing fancy and smiling for the cameras.
“I know. I was sure as hell lucky to fill in for Mona, he was something,” giggled one of the
girls working on my hair, the male next to her sighed dreamily.
“What’s it like Nova?” One of them asked.
“Hm?”
What’s it like going into the past to kill people for money from corrupt businessmen? Oh it’s great.
“What’s being famous like?”
“Alright,” I replied with a shrug.
“Just alright?” they exclaimed, pausing from what they were doing to look at me in shock.
“It’s great in moments like this, but I never get to enjoy it without having something to do.”
They all nodded their heads sympathetically - as if they understood. “Maybe you should have just become an actress.” Gia pursed her deep purple lips and coated my eyes in a dark eyeshadow.
“Eh-”
“Or a singer! Can you sing?”
“You don’t want me to sing.”
“I’ve heard her,” Gia contributed, turning her lip up at the mention of me singing. “It’s a good thing she never pursued a singing career.”
Normally I’d be offended if somebody criticised something about me - or embarrassed. But at least I could agree with her on that.
“I don’t know why you’d ever want another career! You can visit the past and change the future. Do anything you want!” exclaimed the girl who jammed a pin into my head to fasten my curls into a bun. This hairstyle was clearly new to her, nobody wore their hair like this nowadays but maybe I could bring the classic style back.
I watched the girl's reflection in the mirror. She made it sound like Time Bending was a choice. It wasn’t really. I was made this way, born this way. I was an anomaly in the creation of humans.
“I can’t do anything I want.” I rolled my eyes and shook off the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. They all tilted their heads to the left with solemn expressions.
“Ah...”
“If Time Benders didn’t stick to their own past lives then it could change even the minor details. Sure, we’re pretty lenient with what jobs we do for people, but a lot of research goes into them on their end.” At least that’s what I’d been told to help me sleep at night. “Think what would happen if I killed someone who was supposed to have a family. It would wipe out and an entire generation - it could be you. Never to exist.” Their faces went from solemn to terrified.
Maybe I shouldn’t have used the ‘K’ word. These people knew I was an assassin and were barely fazed by the other side of my job but I’d been told not to talk about my killing habits plenty of times by Vix. Apparently telling stories of how I once took off someone’s head using hedge trimmers made people uncomfortable.
“But that won’t happen to us will it?” The male exclaimed and sprayed my hair with hairspray.
“Hopefully not, this Raven asshole is going down.”
That was another thing I probably shouldn’t have told them but since I was about to announce it to the entire city, Vix could probably let it slide.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror I felt myself smile, the dress hugged my body perfectly, a long slit up to my hip where Vix’s assistant had insisted I wore a knife strapped to my thigh just to add a little more badass and sexy-ness to the look.
I needed to look strong and like I was protecting the city. But if I was being completely honest, I would have always worn it if not on the leg that was showing then it would be hidden.
I was an assassin before being famous and not everyone liked me.
I smoothed my palms over the black velvet and tilted my head to the side. That was definitely the best part of the night. Having my hair like this, a small connection to the past where I’d pin my hair up into a bun. Back in the 18th century, it was for practical use but now it made me feel less like everyone else… until every young girl would want to wear her hair like this.
⚔
I was standing at the bottom of the stairs about to enter the stage in record time, my bright red lipstick was newly applied and I was listening to the latest news broadcast that led on to us.
I stood in front of our little line; Ace was behind me, and behind him was Fynn, Aeron and Cedrix. One of the Producers had deliberately put us in this order. I was always going to be first and then Ace was always going to be next to me since we played up to the beautiful couple everyone wished we were.
I knew exactly what to do when we were out there: you please the news channel and you please the public. Always give them what they want. Our clients might have been the ones paying us but the public were the one keeping us in business.
I was so focused on Ace being pressed against my back I hadn’t heard our cue to go on so Ace placed a hand on my lower back and guided me onto the stage. Thanks a lot Ace, you just fuelled about five thousand teenage girls watching.
There was one thing that hadn’t changed a great deal in the last hundred years, and it was the news.
The stage was small, the majority of it glass with one small red sofa big enough for three people, and two stools were placed behind it. I was glad they’d gotten news Halo and Landon wouldn’t be attending.
The interviewer stood shaking out hands before gesturing to the seats and sitting in an armchair. She had a pixie cut, wore a smart black suit with sharp edges. She looked like the new futuristic businesswoman.
I sat closest to her on the sofa, with Cedrix behind me on a stool and Ace pressed against me on the sofa. Aeron stood holding out a hand for Fynn to sit on the sofa before pulling a 180 and cheekily sitting next to Ace before Fynn could, we all laughed.
It was moments like this in which I loved Aeron, he wasn’t as serious as I was to the public, and he kept us looking like ordinary people. That was exactly what everyone wanted; they didn’t want to feel indifferent to us biologically, they wanted to relate. Aeron was relatable. I was… an assassin - a celebrity assassin at that.
It was likely that everyone was watching as we rarely did interviews… like ever.
“It’s so great for you to join us, even if it is just the five of you we understand you’re very busy.” She smiled kindly.
Fynn was first to speak, his perfectly white teeth almost as blinding as the lights directed on us. “We’re really sorry about that, Halo and Landon were unable to make it tonight. We decided it was best for us not to all come and instead keep the city guarded at all times. I’m sure you can understand.”
The interviewer blushed and nodded her head before her attention drifted to Ace’s arm as he placed it behind my shoulders. I smiled sinking into him and placed a hand on his thigh as though he hadn’t been ignoring me for the past two weeks.
“You guys have a busy night tonight I understand?” She smiled.
Ace began running his finger in circles on the side of my shoulder and goosebumps pricked up on my arms. “Yes,” Ace began. “We have an annual meeting with the leaders of Prospect, it’s all very formal,” he laughed and another round of goosebumps appeared as his smooth voice melted into my ears. The bastard was enjoying this.
“Well, we won’t keep you too long,” she chuckled and turned her attention to one of the cameras. “Join us back here after a break where we’ll be asking some rapid questions about Time Bending, relationships and more serious topics.”
There was the sound of the bell and instantly the crew began moving busily around.
“Hi, it’s great to meet you.” I finally addressed the interviewer whilst there wasn’t a camera on.
“You too, I’m Lola.”
“Nova.” I reached across shaking her hand.
“You look so much more beautiful in person,” she gushed. “And tall.”
“She does,” Ace agreed, reaching across to shake her hand. I leant away from him uncomfortably and he smiled knowingly at me.
“Thank you,” I replied to her compliment, smiling gracefully.
The break was over and we were back to being live with wide smiles.
“Right so the first question from one of our viewers IshipNace101: what’s your favourite life?”
> I didn’t break the smile from my face as Ace recognised the username and brought his lips to my ear. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint the fans.”
I rolled my eyes giving him a nudge, trying to shake off the pleasant shudder from having his peppermint breath fan my face. I tried to focus on the others as they answered the question until it was finally my turn.
Good question, easy to answer. “Oh easy, I love the 1920s, I’m always there. In fact, I love anything from the 19th century and onwards.”
“Why’s that?” Of course, she was going to ask me more. I thought this was rapid-fire. Nonetheless, I bathed in the attention.
“Well, anything before the 19th century is a nightmare. Besides business doesn’t bring me there anyway so I haven’t visited any life before the 19th century. The risks are way higher and life is just genuinely crappy - no TV or anything,” I joked, gaining a few laughs from the others.
Now, remember that for later... I specifically hated anything before the 19th century.
“Right next question.”
“Let’s do it.” Aeron cracked his knuckles besides Ace.
There were a few questions - all ones we’d answered before, normal easy ones like what our favourite hobby outside Time Bending was, and other ones about Time Bending we had to give brief careful answers to.
“Right okay, I’ve purposely saved these questions from viewers till last but it’s all the people are asking.”
Here we go.
“You all spend a lot of time together…” We all nodded our heads slowly with cautious smiles of 'oh shit here it comes'. “Do any of you get closer than...?” She clenched her teeth and smiled awkwardly, unable to finish the question. I laughed softly, placing my hands on my lap.
“I think…” I chose my words carefully, taking my time to think about it and imagining all kinds of viewers leaning closer to their screens - the whole city holding their breath. “There is a lot we don’t share about Time Bending, it’s a very confusing and complicated topic in which rules have to be in place. There’s also a lot of personal and biological - some might say magical rules and restrictions which means it’s simply against our nature.”
NOVA: The Time Bender Series Book 1 Page 8