I look around at my family- Cassandra and Trystan and Jax and Journey and Brooklyn and Byron.
It was insane, how far we had come as a family.
It had been sixteen years ago that Trystan was born. Fourteen years since Jax and Journey. Thirteen since Brooklyn. And eleven since Byron.
It was crazy, how old they were- how old it made me feel to see that all of them are teens, give or take Byron, when it seems like just yesterday, they were young children and tiny infants.
But still...
"C'mon, Varian," Cass murmured, "are you going to show us your new invention or what?"
"Yeah, Dad, come on," Jax added, "I have to go soon. Reuben's not going to be able to wait forever, you know."
I sighed. For the most part, everyone was good and patient. I had chosen the wrong day to test it, though.
"Okay, okay," I consented, "fine. I wanted to show you guys this- drumroll, please."
The girls all rolled their eyes before starting.
"I present to you..."
I pulled the tarp off of my newest invention, something which I still had not named.
"Oh-kay..." Trystan said, "what- what is it? And what does it do?"
I smiled as I stepped into the machine, ready to display it in all of its glory. It was kind of hard to explain everything it did, so... it was easier, much easier, to just demonstrate.
I pressed a few buttons, getting a few curious looks as the machine fired up. It kind of started whirling around, and I thought, huh. That's not how I imagined it would work.
I close my eyes for a second. I could hear my family calling out my name as I kept on whirling around...
And then the whirling was done.
I opened my eyes.
And I wasn't home.