Chapter 1
Time Travel
"What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know." - Saint Augustine
Her closed toe heels clicked across the pavement. It was a hollow sound, the only sound echoing across the barren streets, which normally held the sounds of modern city life. She clung to her long sea foam green gown; so as not to trip over her feet. The low V cut of her gown exposing an exceptionally full cream shaded bust. Her bosom rose concaving back down spastically as she ran. Platinum curls spiraled down tickling her waist as they bounced in the breeze her momentum created. Her green eyes matched almost supernaturally to the shade of her lovely gown. It had been legend that her family was connected to the sub-culture of the green-eyed people. She did not know if the legends told in the neighborhood; by the Legend Holder were fact or fiction. She did know however that indeed her father, twin brother, and she held the curious marking of the Green Eyes in the jungles of San Lorenzo the same exotic shade of eye color.
Weather the legend held true one aspect of her appearance would not be denied to the human eye. The girl was gorgeous. She could be compared to Shakespeare's tale: A Summer's Day. As she ran to her destination, the girl looked as if she were a fairy tale running from the pages that had trapped her for many centuries. She looked as if she were Cinderella chasing after her legendary Pumpkin carriage. Perhaps she was not Cinderella. Perhaps, the girl was a glorious siren escaping her blue lagoon in search of another man's heart to break. She was neither. Though she was physically flawless to the point of fictionist, she was indeed an average seventeen year old. She was an average girl, about to embark on a not so average life altercating adventure.
She was almost to her location. In her city of Hillwood remained many old shops lingering above old or new locations. She rounded the corner ignoring the ache of her feet. She would remove her green shaded heels once she reached her location. She rounded the corner. Madame Blanche's Love Potions shop just at the end of the corner. The display window exposing oddly assorted jars and spells egger to claim new customers. She panted as she pounded on the shop door refusing to relent in her eagerness. She new Madame Blanche was here, after all, she had sent for the girl.
At last, the door flung open and the middle-aged woman appraised the girl still clinging to youthful beauty. A smile crept on the woman's lips as she recognized the girl's familiar smirk playing on her plump rosy lips. She recalled another similar young girl racing into her shop. She could still hear the strange child's voice: "Madame Blanche I wish to be out of love!" the girl had cried out to her. As Madame Blanche examined the young woman before her, she could not help but be pleased that all she had given the child was Grape Soda. The girl before her was clearly a product of a love that perhaps even Blanche's strongest of potions could not undue.
"Ms. Shortman, you are late." Madame Blanche tisked. "Please, call me Acelyn." The girl pants as she removes her shoes exposing petite delicate and sore feet. "Acelyn, please come in, there is so much to be discussed." With that, she waved the blonde-haired woman inside her shop. Steadily she led the girl to a round table sitting as she signaled for the girl to seat herself across from her. They both sat in silence as Madame Blanche debated how to begin her explanation.
"Child, I am sure you have heard the tales that have circled your disappearing grandparents and family over all?" Madame Blanche began.
"Yes I have, but they are merely legends. We have always lived a modest life in Hillwood until now." The girl's voice was a tiny feminine bell but yet it held strength and power with in it's self.
"What if I were to tell you that they are all true?" Madame Blanche lifted a dark colored brow. The girl patiently waited for the graying haired woman to continue. "What if I told you that my husband Eduardo was a close confident of your grandparents? What if I could explain the very reasoning for the shade of your eyes? What if I could tell you where your now missing parents are? What if I can assure you how to in fact fix your entire family and perhaps even protect the elusive Green Eyes?" Madame Blanche spoke mystically. Her eyes averting the green-eyed girl as she glared into her milky crystal ball.
"I'd say I'm listening lady." The girl responded with spunk. Though her outside reflected Arnold Shortman, she was indeed Helga Shortman's daughter.
"Well as you have heard your father was born during a volcanic eruption deep in the jungle of San Lorenzo. When he was born, the earth stood still once more. The elusive Green Eyes had led his family safely to his birthing place. Now, I am not sure what caused the earth to remain still but I am sure of one thing," The Madame took a deep breath as she had been speaking quite quickly. Acelyn remained silent waiting for the woman to continue her tale. Acelyn had heard the stories circling her family billions of times but never in such a light as this.
"The Green Eyes are a rarity all in itself. A culture hidden in secrecy for hundreds of years deep in the South American jungles. No one knows where he or she is. They trusted no one except your very grandparents. Only your grandparents alone had any inkling of how to find them. My husband Eduardo whom was close with your family doesn't even has inkling about the Green Eyes except what they had told them through confidences." Her brown eyes were distant contemplating even as she braced herself to continue.
"It is my belief child that the Green Eyes marked your father as a chosen one. That he alone would save their people. Neither one of your grandparents or any relative for that matter had green eyes until your father. It is my belief his eye color was a marker to the people in the jungle of what his destiny was. Also, I have noticed that since the Green Eyes marked Arnold that every decent from him has also carried on the exotic eye color."
"This is insane. I left prom for this. I thought you could help me!" The blonde-haired woman scuffed as she lifted herself from the wooden chair. The Madame extended her arm clutching the girl's wrist gently. Acelyn glared the woman up and down scrutinizing her Gypsy dress. "Please child. I merely ask of you to listen. Listen to everything that must be told. If after you are still doubtful I will let you leave and handle the task myself." The Gypsy woman insisted. Acelyn nodded, her features softening as her eyes half lidded just like her father's own pair.
"The Green Eyes hold power that is beyond man kind which is why they hid from society all those years. They in fact still hide waiting to be protected, waiting to know certainly of their safety. I am certain do to the gift they have given my husband; they in fact can control the very fibers of time travel." It all sounded nuts to Acelyn but if this woman could help her find her parents it was worth listening to her crackpot theories.
"Time travel?" The girl whispered sheepishly. "Yes child. My husband has given me the elixir given to him by the jungle people. It is my belief that both your parents and grandparents are lost in time. They are trapped in a limbo, a time warp perhaps. If you go back into time and correct the wrongs made in time it will release them." Acelyn's lips parted into a perfected O of astonishment. "I will give you the elixir and you must go back in time to your parent's senior year. Once there, you must convince them to travel with to you San Lorenzo. There you will find my husband and he will explain the rest. Do not under any circumstance reveal who you truly are to any individual but Eduardo! It can cause a time lapse and possibly put you in limbo yourself. Do you understand me?" Madame shook the child from her revere.
"Yes I understand." The girl was breathless shocked that such things existed. Did this mean that every urban legend was true? Was there truly a headless cabbie? Alternatively, perhaps the Ghost Bride truly lingered in the cemetery. She was not given much time to ponder. In moments, the woman dragged the girl outside to the brick wall out of her shop. She scribbled a year on the girl's hand. Quickly the woman smashed a vile against the brick wall. A gapping hole protruded from the wall. Acelyn screamed but Madame Blanche covered her mouth. "Have a nice trip darling. See you next year." The woman joked not giving the child any time to register everything that had happened in the past hour. With a heaving shove, she threw the girl into the hole.
Acelyn fell. She was reminded of Alice in Wonderland falling through the Rabbit hole. Alternatively, perhaps her falling was more like Jack Skellington as he entered the holiday world of Christmas. Either way it was a UN earthly experience and if she had been any older then Seventeen Acelyn would have died of a heart attack from the shock of it all. She continued to free fall lost in space and time. She growled the old geezer had not even given her enough time to grab her heels! At last, a light grew at the end of her spiraling tunnel. With a great thud, Acelyn landed rather hard on the pavement outside Madame Blanche's love potions shop.
"Are you okay? I was turning the corner and I saw you stumble you hit the ground pretty hard!" She did not open her eyes hoping all this madness just like Alice in Wonderland nothing more then a mere dream. She smiled. Of course, this was a dream she would recognize the boys voice anywhere! It was her twin brother Aidan. She would open her eyes and Aidan would laugh at her as she explained every detail of her crazy dream.
"I'm alright Aidan. Help me up would yeah? I'm a bit light headed." She complained out stretching her hand towards the voice. Acelyn was still too nervous to open her eyes. He grasped her hand and in one tug had her on her feet. His hands were soft but he held a masculine power all the same. "I don't know who Aidan is, cool name though I guess. I'm Arnold." Acelyn flung her eyes open stunned to she what appeared to be her brother's carbon copy. The only difference being that both children had normal shaped heads like their mother. Arnold had grown into his head but it had always remained oblong.
"I- I- Well I'm," Thinking fast Acelyn decided to use her middle name, "I'm Helena, uh, Helena Pittman." She had rather combined her parent's last names in a strange way to create her own. "Well Helena, It's hot and you have no shoes. Get on my back and I will carry you to the boarding house and lend you some shoes. We can go from there after wards." Arnold insisted. Acelyn blushed remembering her double D breasts were not quite hidden in her gown. Her dad even as a teenager was a gentle man he had paid no attention to Acelyn's breast at all he seemed much more peculiar to her face. She flushed, perhaps for reasons he could not explain to himself; Arnold could notice her uncanny physical appearance being comparable much to his own.
"Thank you." Acelyn responded in a hushed voice she climbed on to his back and tears threatened her eyes. Though in this strange occurrence of life they were the same exact age; she could not help but recall the safety she felt as he carried her. She began to remember her childhood her father carrying her in his strong masculine arms always with the promise of protection. She forgot the circumstances, forgot her objective for being in the past, and forgot everything. For the first time since this crazy night began she felt safe and secure. Heck, for the first time since her father Arnold had disappeared she finally felt safe again. A tear escaped her eyes and she was grateful that the version younger version of her father kindly ignored it. She closed her eyes and though she was lost in time, she smiled to herself because Acelyn knew in her Daddy's arms she was safe and she was finally home.