I am back after many, many months! My apologies, readers. The sequel to Bound to Get Burned is finally here.
Disclaimer: I own nada.
When Daniel woke up, his first thought was, 'Oh, Mollie's gonna kill me.'
The second was more appropriate. 'What the hell?!'
He found himself staring at the back of a car seat- the driver's car seat in his mom's minivan. But that was impossible. He was dead; he was sure of it.
Daniel remembered the flames and the heat. He remembered Eric finding out his secret concerning his past and the male nurse that injected him with something and how pain had flared through his body. It was only as his vision started fading out that he recognized the snake tattoo on the back of the man's neck.
Yet, here he was, very much alive, gazing at his little brother snoozing in the seat beside him.
Unless this was his hell. Maybe he'd died and now he had to relive all his memories, but that didn't make any sense. It felt too real to be just a memory; he felt like he was living it for the first time, even though he wasn't.
Had these two past years been a dream? No, they were too vivid to be a dream.
So that left two options. One, this was heaven. His parents- or at least shadows of them- were here with Georgie. But why were they in a minivan and where were they going?
Then, there was the second and although it was crazy, Daniel wasn't going to rule it out after he'd seen so much since he'd moved to Noble's Green. Time travel. Maybe his death had somehow thrown him back in time, but how and why?
He sat up and something in his pocket crinkled. Daniel reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, torn and crumpled, but readable. It read, 'Make it right.'
It was unsigned.
On a hunch, Daniel reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone before scanning the date.
August 11, 2014.
Two years ago.
"Finally, you're awake, honey," his mom grinned. Despite her not being his birth mother, Daniel would always think of her as his mom and that would never change, regardless of time line. "We'll be there in about thirty minutes."
"Okay," he mumbled, pretending to be sleepy, and he gazed out the window, watching the Pennsylvania scenery rush by.
So he had to think about this. Let's start with the evidence, he considered.
He most likely would've survived his injuries if Lawrence hadn't injected him with that clear stuff in the syringe. Recalling his theory of Plunkett's plan, Daniel bit his lip; yet if he had time traveled, that wasn't going to happen. He was sure of it.
He'd died and been thrown back in time by the looks of it.
And even if this was a dream or a heaven of sorts, Daniel wasn't going to waste this chance to change the past. Whether it was real or not...
Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan drove up beside the house of Eileen Lewis Stewart, Daniel's grandmother, and Daniel felt like sobbing. He hadn't seen Gran in two years, since she'd died in his first year at Noble's Green. Pursing his lips and tapping his foot, Daniel tried to distract himself from those thoughts; Gran was here now, and no matter how much he wanted to curl up and bawl like a baby, he had to keep his composure, lest suspicions arise.
Glancing across the street, Daniel smiled ever so slightly at the sight of the tiny yellow house in which Mollie Lee lived. He hoped he hadn't ruined his friendship or his overall relationship with Mollie by time traveling. He didn't think he could live without that little girl across the street that he'd studied with, explored with, solved mysteries with... shared his first true kiss with her. Louisa didn't really count because Daniel and Louisa were young and confused when they'd shared that kiss in Plunkett's office.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Daniel's dad smiled, gesturing to the house with its three stories and wrap around porch.
Daniel nodded with a grin as he thought of how many times he sat in his room with his friends, solving mysteries and plotting schemes. How many times had he sat with Louisa on the porch swing, sometimes talking, sometimes saying nothing at all? What about all those times Eric came over and they would play superhero with Georgie if only to the humor the toddler? And Mollie- would they ever study together in his room or sit on his bed, talking with one another like they couldn't talk with anyone else, even Eric and Rohan? Would they even become friends?
Daniel shook his head to clear it. They would become friends and their bond would not be altered. Daniel would make sure of it.
"I'll give you the tour while your mom takes Georgie upstairs," Daniel's dad told him.
Mr. Corrigan showed his son around the house, and even though Daniel tried to act clueless, it was hard to pretend he hadn't technically lived there for two years. His dad would often frown when Daniel made the correct turns into the correct rooms and went down the right halls as if on autopilot.
Finally, they arrived at the large double doors of the master bedroom and Daniel nearly cried when he heard his grandmother laughing on the other side.
Daniel's dad frowned in concern as his son took a shaky breath and knocked quietly.
"Come on in!" Gran yelled and Daniel stepped inside, closely followed by his father.
Daniel stopped dead inside his tracks.
He hadn't seen his grandmother in years and he'd almost forgotten what she looked like and the sound of her voice. Her hair was white to the roots and her skin pale and papery. She wore a night dress that was too big on her skeletal frame, and she had a tube going through her nose that was connected to a tube at her waist.
But Daniel still thought she was beautiful.
"I know- I look like a robot hooked up to all these machines. Robo-Gram," she teased. Daniel remembered her strong voice and her laughter and her sparkling eyes. He almost couldn't choke back a sob as he went over to hug her.
Daniel had been so awkward with her the first time around, what with the illness and all the machines and medicine, but he wasn't going to do that this time around. He had to make the most of their limited time together because they wouldn't have it for long.
"Daniel," his mom interrupted. "Could you go play ball with Georgie? He's getting restless."
"Sure," Daniel said. The first time around he hadn't always been there for Georgie and then, he'd died and Georgie would grow up without a big brother. Even if his death was inevitable, Daniel wasn't going to waste this time with his little brother. He vowed to put the books down and to spend time with his family and friends because now he knew that one day he would have all the time in the world to spend with them and the next day, he could die, just like in the previous timeline. "Come on, Georgie."
He led his little brother outside, responding to his mother that yes, he would watch for traffic, and went to play with his tiny sibling.
Outside, Daniel began to play ball with Georgie, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
How much could he change with messing up everything? He had to become friends with the Supers, not only to save them but Daniel, somewhat selfishly, knew he couldn't survive without them. He obviously couldn't stop Gran from dying, but he could spend more time with her. And then there was Simon.
Daniel felt like tearing his hair out. It was all so confusing.
"I think he wants the ball," a voice suddenly broke into his musings.
Daniel turned and felt his jaw hit the floor when he saw a twelve year old Mollie Lee standing before him in all her ripped jeans and Tom boy glory.
Snapping his mouth shut, Daniel smiled, albeit slightly nervously.
It was time to get reacquainted with little Mollie Lee.
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