"To Rewrite The Future"

SUMMARY: For most of the student attending Chestler College, a remote institution on Keuka Lake, the 137-second-long flash forwards were unremarkable. But for five, the future turns into their worst nightmare as they see themselves in six months time. Two bitter exes see their old flame rekindled. One only sees his future for fifty-two seconds. Another witnesses a terrifying crime. And yet another sees herself committing it. Their only hope lies within the remote possibility that perhaps they can change the future…but can they?

RATED T-16 for language and sexuality.

"Supposedly they were our future or something," mumbled a blonde boy standing particularly close to the edge of the dock.

"Dear God I hope not," said the Korean girl next to him. "In my vision, I was writing a twenty-page term paper on Byron…and I hate Byron!"

"Oh yeah? Mine was so boring. I was making soup for the whole two minutes!"

Nearby, a largely-build girl with pale skin and red hair blushed and turned away, nodding her head with shame and annoyance, avoiding eye contact with her friend Peter.

"I really wish they would stop talking about this. It's so damn ridiculous," said Meredith Kennedy.

"You have to tell me, then," said Peter, dressed rather formally for nothing more than a Sunday tryst by the lake, where most of the campus had decided to spend the beautiful mid-fall afternoon. Peter was also pale skinned, but his hair was blonde and fine. "It's obviously disturbing, and it's not going to do any good holding it in, you know."

It was indeed a strange event that took place on October 6th, which was last week. Meredith was walking up the hill towards the science building for a morning seminar when she suddenly blacked out. By the time she woke up, she'd rolled to the bottom of the hill. A car had driven into a street lamp about five-hundred yards away. The first thing she noticed was she wasn't in her room anymore…but it was as if she'd just BEEN there. But she also noted that she didn't seem to be alone in the confusion. Other people were also sprawled out along the hillside, dazed and confused. It was what Meredith had seen that stuck with her since then. It was degrading and impossible. Chestler College was in an isolated part of the state, so news traveled slowly. Only yesterday did the fact that members of the FBI were speculating whether or not the strange supernatural event induced a brief moment of Flash-Forwarding into the future spread to the campus.

"Maybe it will. I…I still think this is all a crock of crap," Meredith scoffed. "I mean, really! We all passed out and saw our future? Who does the government think they're fooling? We weren't born yesterday!"

"Then explain how we saw the things we saw," Peter challenged.

"It's called a DREAM. The subconscious mind purging unneeded information while we're asleep! It happens on a daily basis," Meredith argued.

"Then how is it the dentist who was working on me was a man I'd never seen or been to before…?" Peter asked.

"I once had a dream where I was married to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, but I've never met the guy!" Meredith defended. "And why are you so eager to believe in these dumb visions anyway? You were having a cavity filled! It's not exactly worth believing in!"

"Please," Peter said. "I've had about eight of those before. Getting a filling is no big deal for me. But still, it's a cool idea when you think about it…seeing the future…"

"It was NOT the future!" Meredith said rather aggressively.

"Then tell me your vision! Tell me WHY you don't want to believe!" Peter insisted.

But before Meredith could open her mouth again, the Korean girl had playfully shoved the blonde boy into the water. The resulting splashes had gotten Peter and Meredith damp. Meredith groaned. Peter was silent, but made a gesture of annoyance.

"Freshmen," she mumbled with resentment. "Now I have to change—"

"—it's getting noisy out here anyway. And…if you're going to tell me about your vision, you might as well tell me in private if it's so bad…" Peter said. Meredith ignored him. The pair got to their feet and began walking down the dock towards land, when suddenly, HE appeared.

Peter noticed that Meredith avoided Patrick Gresock's gaze as their passed each other. No wonder. The two had broken up after a very brief but passionate love affair not too long ago. It was messy, and Meredith later realized she'd been used, and since that day, she resented him to the very core.

"I'll tell you," Meredith sighed as soon as Patrick was out of earshot. Peter stopped in his tracks. "See Patrick just walk by?"

"You obviously did," Peter said.

"In my vision, I was having sex with a man in my room. It was night time, and I couldn't see his face, because he was whispering something in my ear. Something about how he was glad I'd forgiven him, because he loved me more than he loved life. Then…then I felt this immense wave of pleasure—"

"—most would call that orgasm," Peter chimed in. Meredith glared at him and skipped a beat or two before continuing without a word.

"It was as much emotional as it was physical. I'd…I'd never felt so filled to the brim with ecstasy in my life. Then my partner's face came into my line of vision…and it was him," Meredith said, nodding her head towards Patrick, who had his arms flirtageously around a slender girl with mocha skin.

"What?" asked Peter, feeling his heart sink.

"That wasn't the end," Meredith said. "After I saw his face, he smiled and leaned in to kiss me, he thrusted his hips again and I felt more pleasure, but then, there was a bang…a loud bang, as if it was right outside the door. The bang startled Patrick, who fell off the bed onto the floor with a small yelp of surprise. That's when it ended."

"The bang could have been the car that hit the street light," Peter said.

Meredith shook her head. "That's not the point! Peter, I'm having sex with my ex, who I hate more than anything!"

"Better than a late-night emergency dental appointment," Peter argued. "At least you're getting laid…"

"…spoken like a true straight male," Meredith muttered.

"I'm bisexual, remember?" Peter said jokingly, winking. Meredith groaned.

"But I'm going to prove once and for all these stupid dreams are nothing BUT dreams," Meredith said.

"How?" asked Peter.

"If these were really visions of the future, then Patrick would've seen the exact same thing I would have, right? If I ask him, and he saw something else, we'll know for sure it's all crap!" Meredith said, proud of herself for sounding so smart.

"But how are you going to ask him. Juts waltz on up and say, 'Hey Patrick! Did you happen to see us having sex in your vision?'" Peter asked.

"I'm going to figure THAT out later," Meredith mumbled to herself, looking in the direction of Patrick one more time before following Peter up the hill once again.