I'mNotAGoodWriter: Hello everyone. Yes, I'm sure you're wondering, "What are you doing on Addict's story?" And I have an answer for you. The truth is...
39addict101: Yo! Peeps! Just here with my bestie and we are...what's that? Oh, I interrupted? Oh, ok. Right. *sighs*
Yeah, um, I don't know. We, like, wrote this together, and...you know what, Inagw, why don't you explain?
I'mNotAGoodWriter: *laughs* Well, then, I'll take your offer.
In this story, 39addict101 and I are co-writers to the T. It started off with us each writing one sentence at a time: Addict, Me, Addict, Me, etc. Then we moved onto bigger segments of writing, but kept up the pattern. In this way, we compiled together the chapter you're seeing right now.
Any extra notes I'm missing, Addict?
Addict: *jumps up and down* No! I don't think so. OMG This! Is! So! Exciting!
Oh, wait...both of us will reply to your review. *glares* So you better review! ;DDDDD
Hang on. That's fine with you, right Miss Awesomesauce?
I'mNotAGoodWriter: I don't think new readers will appreciate the nickname you have for me. They're probably expecting another person to pop out now. Unless... *glances around suspiciously* ... we're not the only ones here...
Okay, back on topic. Yes, we will both be relying to reviews. Though I don't know if that means if were both going to reply to each review individually by PMing the reviewer, or were going to reply within this *motions to the chat* thing we're doing right now. I guess it's up to Addict.
39addict101: What? Of course they'll appreciate the name! Why wouldn't they?
Wait...do you really think there's someone else here? *panics* THIS IS OUR STORY! *cries*
Ooh! That would be cool! Let's reply to them here!
Is that all? Cuz I can't think of anything else...
I'mNotAGoodWriter: *comforts Addict* There, there, I'm sure there's no one else besides us and our story.
And yeah, I'm pretty sure there's nothing more of importance. And if there is, hey, we'll just bring it up next time. Onwards to the story!
39addict101: Yes! Onward with the story! Y'all enjoy it, now, ok?
Oh, and make sure you review!
A wrinkled old man sat in a shaded porch swing, staring into the past; of hurt and pain, looking places, glimpsing things only he could see. He could only hope, pray, that none of the others could look down and see him so low, so pitiful after it had happened, from their places high in heaven. He remembered the screams, oh Lord the sound of flesh tearing, the stink from the burning flesh, but most of all the sound of someone calling for him, pleading for him to come, to not be heartless...to save them. He remembered glancing back, coughing, hacking as his lungs filled with smoke; he remembered the second he chose his life over theirs, and he would never forgive himself. He gasped and clutched his chest, nails digging into his skin to anchor him from the waves of emotion that wracked his heart. His eyes squeezed shut, his hands still clutched to his chest, trying to filter out the images of his family screaming his name, calling him, begging him, to save them from the fiery throng that enveloped them.
His eyes flew open, a moment of distortion as his brain failed to comprehended the green hues from the park around him, instead still seeing the fiery nightmare playing in front of his confused eyes. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the bright world around him, he shuddered, realizing it had only been a flashback. He slowly rose to his feet, knees creaking in protest as he straightened out. He looked up to bright ocean of sky, wishing his life could be cheery and happy, like the sky, instead of dark and gloomy like an overcast day. Grabbing his cane, he started walking towards his home; down the path surrounded by the green grass with colorful flowers scattered in abundance.
A gold finch called out to him, a sweet warble that warmed his broken soul. With a tired smile, he continued his slow stroll home, his old bones already begging for the sweet embrace of his bed sheets. He reached his old sagging house, and looked up at it, then leaned against it like one leans against a good friend. He strolled inside, walking the best path to his bed and avoiding the holes in the floor subconsciously. When he reached it, he sank wearily down into the comfort of his sheets, not bothering to remove his shoes. He let sleep consume him, surrendering to the sweet numbness of the darkness; praying he'd have no dreams.
Fire tore through his soul, licking and roaring, tearing into every part of his mind, there was no escaping it. He screamed but no noise came out, and he felt a crushing weight on him, suffocating him. His breath came in shallow gasps, and his lungs screamed for more air. His eyes flew open as he finally released the scream that had been bubbling at the back of his throat.
His breath all but stopped as he noticed the ninja posters on the wall, his pile of unfinished homework, and... Amy?
"Dan! What happened?! I heard a scream!" Amy panted, looking out of breath as if she had climbed two sets of stairs, which, incidentally, she had. Dan stared blankly at Amy, blinking, and then the memories flooded back. He stilled himself against the torrent of memories, instead focusing on Amy. He smiled, trying to sound like his normal self. What was happening? Why was Amy here? Was he dreaming again? A hallucination?
He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to focus on the scene before him. "Dan?" Amy asked, the concern in her voice signified she was worried about him, he knew it, but he couldn't place why.
"Uh, yes?" Amy placed a hand on his head, to check for a fever maybe, and the hand felt so real he felt like he was about to faint. What was happening? His mind felt twisted, cheated, out of important information. The room spun, a blur of colors in a darkened world.
"Where am I?" He asked. Amy looked at him curiously, confusion etched across her face.
"Uhhhh... At home? Dan?"
He felt like he was going to throw up. Was this the past? What day was it? He stared at Amy, wondering if it would be weird if he asked what year it was, and his mind began to wander.
"Dan?" Amy asked again. It was too late, he had gone back into the depths of his mind. Where had he been before he came here? He remembered going to bed, searing pain, and the he was here. Amy stared at the musing Dan quietly, finally sighing and hitting him upside the head.
"Ow!" Dan yelped, turning to look at her with accusatory eyes, "What was that for?"
Amy sighed. "What the hell, Dan! You scared me! Recently, whenever I try to talk to you, you're here physically, but your mind is always somewhere else. Why can't you tell me what's wrong?"
Dan's heart leapt to his throat in guilt as he looked at her expression, and he automatically flashed one of his biggest, and his personal fakest, grins. "I'm fine! Why are you being all angsty? Everything is fine."
Amy glared suspiciously at him. "Right...Are you sure?"
Dan grinned, nodding his head multiple times and putting on his most innocent expression. "Yup!"
She shrugged, pacified. Turning away, she called out to him over her shoulder. "Okay then. I'm getting back to work." Dan grinned until she left, his face falling into a more serious expression that Amy had probably never seen on his childish face. He need some answers, and he needed them quickly before anyone got suspicious.
He swallowed hard, praying she wouldn't come back up. "What year is it?" He mumbled, rummaging through his drawers. It never occurred to him how hard it was to determine what year you were in! He pulled out his phone, and sighed in relief. 2014. He began to reach back and try to remember what time the disaster had happened. Was there a chance that he could rewrite the past? There must be some butterfly effect, like Dan poofing out of existence or losing all his memories, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Anything to save his family. His mind churned as memories flooded back, and he found himself biting his lip, willing the awfulness of the memories to leave him alone. Tears filled his eyes.
"I'm an idiot." He said, his voice cracking with pain.
Swallowing against the painful lump in his throat, he wiped the tears away, cursing when more welled up to fill their place. He needed to get to work. Creeping out of his room, he tiptoed to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He needed to tell someone, to confide in someone. Turning on the faucet, he splashed the cool water over his face, almost feeling his anxieties calming. As soon as he turned off the sink, however, they came rushing back to him, old memories, future memories, past and present memories. He opened his mouth to call for Amy. All he needed right now was help. But no words flew out of his open mouth. Forcing his mouth shut with some effort, he walked stiffly back to his room, still unused to his young body and not willing to make a fool of himself by tripping all over the place. Digging through his junk, he searched and searched for and old item. Where was it? Ah! Here it was. His old dia- journal.
Looking at the cover brought a fresh flood of tears to his eyes, memories of the journal resurfacing. He felt his eyes begin to sting, and he rapidly blinked, refusing to acknowledge this new rush of emotion that threatened to control him. He opened to the first page. He stared at the page blankly, the scribbled and scratches seemed to be mocking him. Were these... were these words? Squinting at the chicken scratch that was apparently his past handwriting, he began to discern and pick apart a few words at a time, before giving up and flipping to a new page. Picking up his pencil, he started to write down his memories of the future.
"I first met them online. They called themselves Dragon. I didn't know what to think about him, but I had met Atticus on the game beforehand so my guard was down. We met on a MMO game called Ninjas X. We started off as opponents, where I beat them. They challenged me to a rematch, which they won. I challenged them, and so it continued, each of us equally matched. Soon after, we ran out of energy and had to forfeit at a tie.
We sent friend requests to each other, and that's how we started."
Dan put down the pencil as his hand began to cramp. Looking down at his had with an expression of betrayal, he wondered how little he used to write for his hand to cramp at such a low amount of words. He gazed at the side of hand, where it was gray from the residue of the graphite. He glanced down at the page he had just been writing, which was blurred and smudged in some places from the sweat from his hand. Sighing, he continued to write.
"We chatted for some days, and I slowly found out they played other games I had. We slowly began seeking each other out on other games, before finally, on CS:GO, I found out she was a girl. I didn't find it strange that she managed to have every single game I had, but I probably should have had warnings blaring. I trusted her, which was the worst mistake I could have ever made. I gave her my phone number and email address. She must have hacked my stuff, because suddenly, things took a turn for the worse."
Dan sighed, and set down his pencil again to rub his forehead in an irked manner. He didn't like writing down his stupid mistakes. But he was glad he was remembering, maybe, just maybe, he could fix his wrongs. Turning around into a more comfortable position, he picked up the neglected pencil and started writing.
"It started off small, talking to me everyday, calling me every now and then. Once we hit out 6-month checkpoint in our friendship, she confessed to me. I didn't really know how online relationships worked, and by then she was one of my closest friends, so I readily agreed.
We were always talking. She would text, call, play games with me, she was the single thing my life began to revolve around. I didn't know it then, but her persistence was just their version of keeping tabs on me. That's when it happened. All of a sudden, she broke contact. At first I thought, "Well...she could be gone, or her phone broke, or..." I continued on and on with a list, but when she didn't get back to anyone of 546 messages, I was crushed.
That's when it hit.
She suddenly called me, right in the middle of the night. I wasn't sleeping or anything. but you'd think after an entire month of not talking I'd be a little cautious while picking up. Unfortunately, not so. All hesitancy was thrown out the window when I saw the name, and I immediately picked up.
"Hey babe!" A chirpy came from the receiver. I remember getting a little angry and demanding why she didn't reply to all my messages, to which she replied:
"I know, I'm a terrible person for not replying to your messages and I should die. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm terrible, I'm horrible, I should kill myself." She had replied in one breath."
Dan gave the entry a grim smile before adding a little note that he found out about after.
"Now, I don't know if you know, but that isn't actually an apology, that's a guilt trip and a manipulation to make the offender seem like the victim. And it worked. I apologized, and also ordered her a new phone.
It was the start. She slowly began asking for more and more, and when I didn't comply, she'd either threaten to breakup with me or kill herself. I didn't realize I was in an abusive relationship, and I still liked her as a friend too much to let her go. But the biggest milestone was when she told me to steal one of Amy's things. I refused, and she accused me of not loving her. I replied that I did love her, but I loved my sister more.
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew it had been the worst mistake I'd ever make.
"What?" She shrieked, her voice rising an octave with each letter.
I couldn't think of anything to say, so all I said was, "What I mean is that I love you, and my sister equally, but I love my sister enough to not steal her stuff."
She didn't say anything, just burst into tears. The front camera was soon covered in liquid and her face was a distorted mess.
I don't know why, but suddenly, I didn't want to lose her. "It's fine!" I promised. "I'll get you Amy's coat. She'll never know a thing." The voice call was promptly ended by her
After that, she began asking for larger and larger things. Amy's brooch, Amy's ring, Amy's diamond necklace. The list went on and on, each item more valuable than the rest.
But when she asked for Amy's Mustang convertible, I knew it was going to far. Amy was becoming suspicious, and I couldn't do this any longer to my sister. By then, I had already surrendered my address for about 2 months, which meant she knew where I lived. A few days after I refused to give her Amy's car, she came to the front door. It was jarring. The person I had been obeying through screen was suddenly at my door.
I opened the door immediately, not wanting her to get mad, before she threw herself at me with tears. A shiver ran through me, my body already recognizing the signs for the next emotionally challenging event.
"Dan! I'm so sorry! I just wanted to meet you so much!" She cried, sobbing into my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her head, ignoring Amy, who had come to the door to see what the commotion was about.
"Dan?" Amy questioned me, her voice confused. "Who is this?"
I stopped, with my arms still around Narcissus. "Uh..." I paused, "This is my girlfriend, Narcissus."
I hated the hurt look on Amy's face. I had excluded her on an important detail of my life. One that I should have told her about. I tried not to let it bother me, and I ignored her, focusing all my attention on Narcissus.
Amy's shock soon wore off, but she remained angry at me. I invited Narcissus to stay over, but she replied that she already had a place. Desperate, I asked her if she wanted to eat dinner with us. Looking at my sister long enough for me to get uncomfortable, she shook her head. Leaning into me, she whispered.
"I don't think your sister likes me." She mumbled, tears springing into her eyes as she looked up at me.
And suddenly I hated Amy. I hated Amy for making Narcissus uncomfortable, which stemmed off into hatred for her always expecting to know everything in my life, even though she kept secrets from me. How she expected me to tell her about my girlfriend even though she still was keeping her boyfriend a secret. I hated Amy.
After Narcissus left, I wheeled on Amy, all the fury, hurt and pain I'd been hiding coming to the surface. I'm not proud of what I said, and I said it harshly.
Amy's jade eyes filled with tears, and for two seconds I regretted it. But then I thought of Narcissus, and I was proud I got back at my wretch of a sister. I ran after the receding brunette, catching up to her in mere seconds. Beaming at her, I told her of what I had done. I wanted her to be proud of me. But she just gave me this disappointed look, and told me, "Dan, you shouldn't have done that. What if Amy hates you now?"
As soon as she said it, the weight of what I had told her came crashing down on me. I hurt my sister. Narcissus noticed the shift in my eye and leaned towards me, laying her hand on my cheek in a gentle caress.
"She probably does hate you! Oh Dan, I'm the only person who loves you. You need to listen to me only." She crooned. I stared down at the floor, not wanting to meet her eyes. It was a beautiful day, birds twittered softly in the green trees, and the sun smiled down on the earth. All I felt was a dark, empty hole open in my heart.
"You're right." I said. "Let's leave. There's nothing here for us."
Narcissus smiled. "Wrong." She said, arching two perfectly manicured eyebrows. "Your sister's car is still here."
We stole Amy's car and skipped town. Out in the open, Narcissus seemed to change her mind again. Her pale face turned dark with anger and she turned on me, rage etched onto her face. I flinched away, mumbling apologies even though I didn't know what I did.
"Why didn't Amy know about me, Dan? Huh?! Why?!" I started explaining why I felt like I was entitled to keep a secret from her because she kept secrets from me, but it backfired and Narcissus just became sarcastic and snarky.
"Yeah but who did the worst fall upon? Me! Because you didn't tell your sister, she got angry at you keeping me a secret, and she got made at me! Also, who do you think you are? Keeping me a secret? What am I to you, a secret lover? A girl you want to fuck in the sidelines? A side chick? Dan, are you cheating on me?!"
I vehemently denied everything, apologizing over and over, but she wasn't taking it. "Your going to go back, and apologize to your sister for me. Just remember, she's probably hates you, but I don't want her to hate me! Okay, babe? We'll go on our first date afterwards!"
She drove back, furiously pushing me out of the car before climbing out and slamming the door shut. I stared at Narcissus as she stormed away. Her pretty face seemed to be obscured by a dark rain cloud. I didn't know what to do, I just stared and watched as she ran away."
Dan sighed, looking at what he'd written. He wondered if this had already happened, or if it was afterwards. He pulled out his laptop, and sat staring, afraid to log in.
Picking up his pencil again, he dropped it with a yelp as his hand sent spasms up his arm. Grinning ruefully at the pages he had written in one sitting, he decided to wait a while for the cramp in his hand to fade away.
Opening his laptop, he went to his private messages, and attempting to open his chat, he tried to log in. Several tries later, he realized with dismay that he'd forgotten the password. He now had no way to know where he was in his "relationship" with Narcissus. Cringing, he rubbed his temples, trying to soothe the raging inferno inside his head.
He instead went to his email, something he and Narcissus used sparsely to communicate. Sighing at the last email she sent, he realized that she was either on her way, or it had already happened. Then again, seeing as Amy didn't seem angry, that meant Narcissus was coming soon. He began to panic, no knowing what to do. Breaking up earlier could either make it better, or worse and trigger the event earlier. For now, if she turned up, he'd play along. His mind was a lot stronger now anyway. He could take a little manipulation, especially if it had already happened before. He closed his laptop after reading the last 10 emails he exchanged with Narcissus, making sure not to logout.
His eyes went wide as his vision got dim, a black and white checkered pattern blurring the edges of his peripheral and blocking his view. He stumbled to his feet, a numb tingle spreading through his body. Tottering around, he staggered around, head buzzing so much he couldn't tell where he was going. Or what he was doing. His hands hit the floor as he fell, and he wondered if he was standing or laying down. Slowly, the buzzing faded away, and his sight came flowing back. With confusion, he wondered when he stared kneeling on the floor. He got to his feet unsteadily, wondering what just happened. With a shock, he realized he remembered his password. Even more worryingly, he was starting to forget the future.
He typed in his password, and gasped. The last message from Narcissus had been over two months ago. Either she had already come, or she was on her way. He heard his phone ring, and he leaned over and answered it.
It was Amy. "Hey, Dan?" She said. "Um, I'm going to the store, and I wanted to know if you wanted me to drop you off with some of your friends."
Dan paused, "Uh, no." He needed to figure out this stuff, this confusion and mental chaos, first.
Suddenly the headache rushed at him again. His head pounded, and he heard himself say, "I mean, yes."
The headaches were controlling him.
Why had he said yes?! His memories of the future got muddled, jumbling up and mixing together like a thick, monotone mess. What on earth were these headaches? Was the past trying to make sure he was back to old Dan so he wouldn't mess with the future? He wouldn't let it! Holding his head in one hand and a pencil in the other, he began writing again.
He got lost in thought as he wrote, line after line of awful mistakes he'd made. His head pounded worse and worse until he thought he wouldn't be able to see the words on the page in front of him. He heard someone knock on his door, and then the door opened to reveal Amy.
"Aren't you coming?" She asked.
Dan tried to fight. He really did. But then he felt himself nodding. "Yes." He said through gritted teeth. Then, through excruciating pain, he managed, "Hang on a sec, okay?" He ran, and grabbed his journal, then followed Amy down the stairs. Noticing a bookbag hanging near the door, he shrugged it on, just in case. He clutched the notebook to his chest, repeating over and over why he had it, about how he knew of the future, repeating it till it didn't sound true. Getting into Amy's car (which wasn't stolen, he thought hazily) he looked down at the notebook and wondered why he took it.
Starting to read it, some of his memories came flooding back as he berated himself for forgetting. His eyes blurred, and he asked almost asked Amy, "Have you seen your jade brooch lately?" Then he thought better of it, and realized that would not be a good idea.
They drove for a while in silence, until Amy turned to Dan and asked, "Are you alright? You've been spending a lot of time in your room, on your computer...is there something you want to tell me?" She arched her eyebrows.
'Porn' Dan thought. 'She thinks I'm looking at porn. Well, that's better than suspecting the truth', he supposed "No." He said, lying through his teeth. Instantly, he wished he had said something. Deciding to confide in her, he started talking again.
"Nah, I'm just playing online with some friends." Deciding to come clean before Narcissus came, he started to tell her about his "girlfriend". Taking a deep breath, he said "Actually, I'm going out with-"'a splitting headache came crashing down, and he could feel something choking him, forcing the words back down. 'This settles it. Something is trying to make me back into 'normal' Dan.
He stared out the window at the green trees flashing by, a blur of color to his sleepy senses. 'What am I doing?' He wondered. 'Obviously, I'm doing the right thing, or I would get one of those headaches, right? But I don't remember this.' Trying to resurface the memory of this day, he closed his eyes.
As they stopped at a traffic light, Amy noticed something. Her voice broke into his thoughts. "What's that book you're holding?" Reaching over, she grabbed it and opened it to the first page. He began waking up from his earlier stupor when she laughed. "Dan! You're such a good writer! Why didn't you tell me that you wrote?"
Heart jumping through his throat, he let out a strained smile and peeped over Amy's shoulder to see what she was reading in the journal. Luckily, she was just looking at one of his earlier poems, the entries from before he had woken up in the past.
'Please don't keep reading please don't keep reading' he implored mentally.
As Amy began turning the pages to find something else to tease Dan with, he grabbed the book back and laughed shakily. "Well, that's enough of that, don't you think?"
"Don't be stupid, Dan!" Amy said, beaming. "This is great!"
She tried to grab the book back, and they started a tug of war over it.
Dan smiled, eyes crazy with a desperation that Amy didn't recognize. "The light is green." He said, pretending to look at it.
Snapping back to attention, Amy looked like she just remembered they were on the road. Quickly getting back into position, she threw a smirk at Dan and said "You got away this time, but I'll get it again!"
Dan laughed, but it sounded fake even to his ears. His heart was thumping wildly, and he felt like if he breathed Amy would hear how loud his heartbeat was. He felt like he just narrowly avoided a trip to the therapist. Making up his mind, he decided to buy a book safe. He had shoved in the journal into the bag just as Amy stopped the car at the mall.
"Here you go." She said. "Call me when you're done, okay?"
Dan nodded, hoping he didn't look to eager to get away from her. He stepped out, enjoying the cool wind on his tanned face. He pulled out his cellphone, and discovered a text...from Narcissus. It read: "I want the car."
He couldn't remember what he replied to her before, so he decided to play it safe and reply "What car?"
Within minutes, Narcissus replied, "I want the car you're in right now."
Dan's heart skipped a beat as he almost dropped the phone in shock. How did Narcissus see him? Was she able to see through his front camera despite not being in a call? He didn't remember this. Was it possible that the past was already changing?
Dan stared in shock at his phone. "Dan? Dan?" Amy's prying voice interrupted his thoughts. "I thought you were getting out."
Dan laughed, cringing mentally at how the laughs were sounding increasingly fake. "Right. Just...thinking."
Amy smiled. "For some new writing ideas, right?"
Dan glared at her. "No!" He got out and slammed the door.
He texted Narcissus back. "I'm not in a car. What r u talking about?" Then he sent a selfie of himself in front of the mall.
"Oooh you're at the mall? Buy me something! *heart emoji*"
Dan grimaced, getting reminded of what she wanted from here. She nearly completely depleted his pocket money, which was saying a lot. And all on some shit purses that he had to spend more money on to send to her location. Quickly typing, he replied "Sure, what do you want? I'm with some friends tho."
"Oh babe, you don't need them! Just stick with me and shop for what you want! You can even video call me :DDDD"
Ignoring the incoming migraine, he slowly typed out "No thanks", wincing against the heavy waves of nausea that rocked through his body with each letter he typed in, knowing that he was changing the past.
But the response was immediate.
"Oh ok :(((( You made me sad now! Do you not want to see me?! D':"
His fingers moved automatically across the screen, typing a reply. "No. I do want to see you. But," He stopped, and then erased everything he'd written, ignoring the throbbing in his head. "Who cares?" He said, fighting the urge to throw up.
He walked inside, and clicked his other contacts, texting his friends. When he heard their destination, he walked toward them, but strangely, the nausea and headaches seemed to vanish. It was as if once they reached their peak, they began to disappear. Maybe it was because he had already changed this portion of the past, it would be a smooth sail to the next time where he could do the exact same thing in the past. Snorting to himself, he thought 'As if I'd let that happen' before jogging to where the group was lounging around.
His buddies spotted him and waved him over. "How's your girlfriend?" One of them asked.
Oh. Evidently, he'd told them about Narcissus. "Uh...fine." He stuttered.
Evan grinned, punching his shoulder, "Dan, you're lying, I can see it!"
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" He asked, rubbing his shoulder absentmindedly. "Ask her how she's doing every ten seconds?" He smiled, hoping that counted as one of his normal witty remarks.
Jeremy rolled his eyes "Right."
Dan rolled his eyes and then said, "So, who's up for Victoria's Secret?"
Jeremy laughed "Victoria's secret? What are you, a girl?"
Evan nodded along and chuckled "Yeah, Dan! You already told us that you were in a long distance relationship-"
"Don't expect us to believe you already got laid." Jason finished, laughing as Evan attacked him for interrupting him. They wrestled a little until Evan emerged victorious, Jeremy giving a round of applause as the winner bowed in thanks before helping Jason up.
Dan chuckled along to the banter nervously, wondering back at how much he told his three friends. If he remembered correctly, he came out about his abusive relationship to them. One didn't believe him, one said to "man up" and left him, and the last one told his to leave her fought Narcissus, accidentally triggering the event that led to her isolating him.
"I was joking." He said, answering the earlier question. Then he turned to Jeremy, "Besides, maybe we could take one of the magazines to look at later." He joked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Jeremy turned a deep red, and Dan laughed.
Evan shook his head, and then turned to Jason. "Didn't you want ski pants or something?"
Jason nodded, and Dan looked at his friends, and contentment washed over him. If only Narcissus...He stopped, not letting himself think those thoughts. They wandered the mall, doing strange things and making heads turn, only to run away laughing. It felt like the old days, and Dan felt nostalgia wash over him, still in the mindset of his older self. As evening approached, the group broke up, and Dan was left alone in one of the stores. Pulling out his journal, he continued writing while waiting for Amy to come pick him up. He ignored the notifications of the 300+ messages Narcissus sent him, instead reading what he had wrote before in his journal to pick off properly.
He stared at the book, the scribbly handwriting winking in and out of his vision. His eyes watered and burned. But he at least now knew that Narcissus had not come yet. Maybe she wouldn't, seeing as he had refused to steal the car. His phone chimed, again and again, over and over, until it began to sound like a ring tone.
Dan gritted his teeth, and, picking up his phone, shutting off the sound. He was done with her. He didn't have to play to her little game anymore, he had overcome, triumphed over his headaches. He had changed the past, the fire wouldn't happen. Everyone was safe. Dan gave a little giggle, possibly sounding a little insane. A sales clerk came to ask him why he was here if he wasn't buying anything, and he walked out. Going to the entrance, he started looking around for Amy's car, still high on his previous euphoria.
And then he blacked out.
When he awoke again, he was in his room, on his bed, Amy beside him. And she was holding his journal.
"Dan!" Amy squealed. "I can't believe you wrote this stuff. I'm sending it into to be published. "
"Wait...what?" Why wasn't Amy angry? Why wasn't she yelling and throwing things? Begging for him to confide in her? Yelling at him to tell her everything?
"Look at this!" Amy said, opening to a page. Dan saw the name Narcissus and shuddered, turning away. Amy began narrating it aloud and his mind wandered, but in seconds, it was brought back to reality. What Amy was reading, was not what he had written. Not even close.
What Amy was reading was a sappy romance between a boy named William and Narcissus, and something that he definitely didn't write. So where was his journal?
Grabbing the notebook from Amy and ignoring the sound of protest, he began flipping through the pages. It was an excellently forged copy, it even got down the scribbles of his handwriting.
Talking slowly, he looked into Amy's eyes and asked "Amy? Where did you find this?"
Amy laughed, not understanding the dire situation. "In your backpack, of course!" The backpack!The bag he had taken as an extra thought! She laughed again, her entire face lighting up. "To think! My baby brother is such a good writer!" She fished out the journal from Dan's slack grip, continuing to read the story.
Dan began to think back to all the places he'd been. Where had he set his backpack down, and where, when, and how would someone have the time to forge his 'diary' and then replace it?
Amy was talking about something else now. Dan was paying half attention until something caught his attention and he began listening
"-ey were talking about how we all died in a fire and why they suddenly woke up to be alive again. Isn't that crazy? Dan? Hey, Dan?"
Dan's face was drained of blood, becoming pale and sweaty. His breathing was getting rough, and he held his head in his hands as Amy rushed to get him some water. Someone woke up in the past as well. Someone who died in the fire. Someone knew of the future.
He needed to find them. And he needed to get his journal, fast. The times were changing, and too quickly to keep up with. His mind whirled. Where had he been? Then it clicked. Dick's Sporting Goods. They were looking at ski googles, and the guys had to leave. He'd set his backpack down, and talked to the obnoxious sales clerk, leaving his backpack alone. Oh, god, he was an idiot.
Smiling at Amy when she returned with the water, he made up some lie about how he'd left something at the mall. She took the lie with no protest or question, driving him back willingly. He told her he'd come back on his own, to which Amy had agreed to reluctantly. Giving his a look of creeping suspicion, she rolled up the windows and drove away.
Waiting till her car was only a distant dot, he began running across the mall, he sprinted into the store, ignoring the heads turning. He looked around frantically where he left it, occasionally looking at the clock where the closing time was ticking closer. After giving up, he headed over to the front desk, asking for the lost-and-found. He dug and dug, before finally deciding to ask.
"Excuse me, has anyone returned a bag? It's dark blue, leathery texture, has a galaxy pattern on it with shooting stars as zippers?"
The man raised an eyebrow at the detailed description, before going to ask other employees. Soon he returned with a dark girl with auburn hair.
"Uhh, we did have the bag, but a girl came and took it. She had light brown hair and hazel eyes? She said she knew you, so we gave it. Do you know her?"
Dan's face got steadily paler and paler as the woman continued with the description, swallowing audibly and looking visibly shaken by the end. With a determined look in his eyes, he nodded. "Oh I know her." Eyes narrowing, he stomped out of the store, whispering agitatedly under his breath "Narcissus."
Anger ran through Dan's body, flowing through his veins, until he felt like he could punch anyone. Amy would call it testosterone, but Dan didn't like that term. It made him sound like he was some type of exotic creature, with a snappy temper. Pulling out his phone, he speed dialed Narcissus. She answered on the second ring. Oh, how the tables had turned.
"Hey, Danny!" She twittered. "You'll never guess what happened today!"
"I don't want to know." Dan mumbled.
"What was that, Dan, honey?"
Dan rolled his eyes, stopping as he realized there was no way she could see him while on a voice call. 'Then again' he mused 'You never know. Maybe they are watching me right at this moment'. Talking, he said "You stole my backpack?"
Silence.
"Narcissus?" Had she hung up?
"Oh, yeah, hi, I'm here."
"My backpack?" Dan asked, getting angrier by the moment.
"Oh, I took that, yeah, cuz I thought you forgot it. I'll give it back to you, if you buy me..." She paused, and Dan could imagine the snakish smile slithering onto her face, "No, wait, if you get me your sister's car."
Dan took deep breaths to calm himself down. He was old enough to keep his cool. Opening his mouth to deliver a calm speech, he heard a giggle from the other end, and it pushed him over the edge. "You didn't even tell me you were in town!" Dan screamed into the mic, sitting down heavily on the fountain in the center of the mall, ignoring the worried looks sent his way.
This wasn't how it was supposed to end up. Amy was getting suspicious, he had after all, begged to come here right after he woke up from his faint. Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he waited for Narcissus to reply.
"Oh but Dan," Narcissus's voice dropped low as Dan felt a shiver travel up his spine "You know exactly what I'm going to do." And she started reading the notes.
Dan fumbled with the phone, quickly pressing record. This may be a set back, but he wasn't going to let a chance where he could rewrite his notes get away. Narcissus' high, squeaky voice reading his notes made Dan want to puke. Her voice rose and fell, but in all the wrong spots.
"Really, Dan?" She said "I would NEVER do those things!" Dan heard her sigh. "I hate you!" She said, sobbing through the call "You don't even like me, so you wrote this about me!"
Dan heard a long tear, and he sucked in air between his teeth, hoping, praying, that what just happened was not what he thought it was. He heard a telltale clicking, followed by the sound of an open flame.
"Dan, sweetie?" Narcissus crooned. "I'm burning your beloved quote unquote notes."
Dan almost dropped the phone, stumbling and grabbing it just before it hit the floor. So she was going to play it safe, huh. Thank God he didn't write anything about how he knew about them. If anything, this was better. If she kept the notes and read the first page, it would all go downhill. By trying to push him into a corner, she gave him more ways to escape.
But why wasn't she talking about how he wrote about how he woke up in the past? Was there a miraculous chance that she had missed that page? Narcissus must have hung up, so Dan stopped the record, and listened to it, over and over. His mind ran over everything she'd said, but he couldn't find anything that would help him. So she definitely wasn't going to show up. Which meant the situation of meeting Amy was avoided which was good, but now she was probably suspecting him of knowing the future, so it was also bad. But he didn't steal the car. But he did go to the mall. But he didn't meet her in person. But he did talk to her.
Dan's head began to spin, and that godawful headache began throbbing back... His head throbbed with an indescribable pain, and he felt himself falling. Within seconds, a small crowd had gathered around him.
Dan thought he saw Narcissus smirking, but he also thought he saw his friend Jason telling him to, "Shut up, man, cuz we got your back."
His memories of the past and future were getting muddled with the present, and he couldn't pick them apart as they were smashed together in a whirlwind of thoughts. He stumbled away from thee fountain, one hand holding his head and the other pushing worried strangers away, carving a path in the crowd. From his peripheral he saw a flash of blonde hair, and turned so quickly he felt his neck pop. The glimpse melded into the crowd, and within seconds, he lost it.
Digging out his phone, he dialed the first number on speed dial. When the person picked up, Dan realized with a slowly clearing mind that Amy wasn't the one who picked up. Looking down at his phone, he groaned as he realized that he hadn't speed dialed, he accidentally clicked the wrong contact.
Hello?" Sinead Starling said, sounding tired. "Care to explain why you called me at eight at night? I have work to do."
Oops. "Sorry." Dan mumbled. "I, uh, meant to call someone else." He sniffed, and tried to calm himself down.
"Dan? Is that you" Sinead said, her voice growing full with worry as she recognized the normally upbeat voice. "What's wrong?"
"S-Sinead, do you have any... strange dreams recently?" Dan didn't know how the memories would play across someone who... died, so he decided that was safe enough. He should have paid attention when Amy told him the name of the person who remembered.
"What? Why would you ask that?" Sinead's voice was guarded, but soon she let out a sigh and began to talk. It was Dan, after all."It was really weird." Sinead paused, as if trying to think of the right words to say. "There was...fire, and a flower, but I don't remember all of it. I just remember being terrified."
'A flower? A flower...flower, flower...Narcissus?' Dan's mind spun, the pieces clicking into place. 'Fire, flower, it's all lining up.'
"How long was it? He blurted.
"How long was what?" The confused voice came through the speaker.
"How long ago was the dream?" Dan corrected.
"I don't really know. It's sorta like it's always been playing in my head? I tried to analyze it with a dream decipherer I made myself, but it didn't work? It's weird."
"Because its not a dream!" Dan shouted.
"What?" Sinead asked, "How do you even know?"
"Because..." Dan said, trying to chose his words carefully. Hearing Sinead's impatient sigh, he abandoned all tact and went with "I just came back from the future." Instantly, he regretted it, but it was too late to go back now.
A laugh came through the speaker and Dan felt his face burning up.
"I'm not lying! I know that we're all going to have a party in..." He recalculated in his head "Four days and that you and Amy have been keeping it a secret from us!"
A scandalized gasp came through and Sinead started talking in a "I can't believe you!" manner. "How did you know that?! We kept it a secret so well! Did you sneak in to Amy's room?"
"NO! I'm from the future! I can prove it to you!"
"How?" The voice said in a friendly taunting manner. With Dan's emotional turmoil, he got riled up by it, taking it as a challenge.
"Just... When is the nearest time I can meet you?"
"Uhh..."
"Please, Sinead."
"Fine, fine. In an hour, in the cafe across the apartment I'm staying in."
"Great! Send me the location." Thinking about how he might be being tapped, he reconsidered/ "Actually, don't. See you later."
Psyching himself up for the jog home, he started off. After five minutes, though it felt longer to Dan, he managed to reach home. Slamming into the living room, he collapsed into a chair to rest his burning legs. Amy was reading a book, and didn't even seem to realize him arrival. Getting her attention, he breathlessly asked her where Sinead lived.
Looking startled at the sudden arrival, she glanced at him. "Why do you want to know?" She asked, glaring at him suspiciously.
"Uhh..." Dan paused, "Because," He said, a light bulb going off in his head. "She's going to help me with the book I'm writing."
Amy's suspicion slacked as Dan glanced away in guilt from the lie. "Really?" She turned, and, grabbing a pad of paper, scribbled something on it and handed it to Dan. "I won't keep you." She said, looking like a mother sending her child off to kindergarten, both happy and sad at the same time. "Bye!"
Without even looking at the address, Dan rushed out of the house as fast as possible, and weaved in and out of random streets, taking several wrong turns, in case anyone was following him.
Looking down at the scrap of paper in his hand, he stopped abruptly, realizing that it wouldn't work. Trudging home, he snuck into the place they kept the keys and grabbed the garage key. Walking towards the door, he fiddled with the lock until he finally got it unlocked. Turning the knob, he stepped into the darkness and felt for the switch. Switching on the lights, he covered his eyes as light flooded the down the isles as if he were picking up a toy, he chose a sleek, black motorcycle. He lifted himself onto the seat, slowly rolling towards the entrance and pass all the other automobiles in the garage. Once at the entrance, he pressed the close button. Seeing the shutter lower, he revved up the engine and shot out under it. Once cruising on the open road, he began looking for any suspicious activity.
He didn't see any, so he went straight to the café.
Stepping inside, he scanned the room quickly, looking for Sinead.
The small tables were cozily clustered together, and soft, comforting music played in background. The aromatic smell of baked goods and coffee beans was in the air, and Dan felt his stomach grumble in hunger. He took in the circular glass tables, the chandeliers shining on the terracotta rustic tiled floor and reflecting off the large windows that undoubtedly let in generous amounts of sunlight during the day, and the small vases of yellow carnation flowers on each table.
"Where are you, Sinead?" He mumbled to himself, turning his head around to look at the different customers.
Just then, someone clasped their hands around his eyes, obstructing his view. Dan's first reaction was to throw the person off, be he calmed as he heard the voice "Guess who!" Someone purred in his ear.
"Sinead." Dan groaned, rolling his eyes as she dropped her hands back. "Can't you think of a less aggravating way to say hi?"
Quickly slipping out of her grip, he motioned towards one of the more secluded tables, waking over with a purposeful stride.
Once settled in, they ordered some drinks, Sinead a mocha latte, and Dan some coffee. While waiting for their drinks to arrive, Sinead struck up some conversation in the awkward silence.
"So, why were you strutting like a turkey to the table?"
Dan frowned in confusion before realized what she was saying "That was a purposeful stride!" He spluttered in indignation.
Waving her hand in dismissal, she rolled her eyes. The ice was broken, they could talk normally now. "Yeah yeah. So, why'd you need to talk to me?"
"I...I think you can help me." Dan stuttered, trying to swallow his fear. What if this was a bad move? Its not like he'd get sent back in time again.
"With what?" Sinead said, staring at him, over the rim of her latte. She took a sip, and swirled it around in her mouth, and then swallowed. "Okay, I'm a little confused. First you're rambling on about coming from the future. Dan, I hate to break it to you, but you look identical, you're not any older, and now I'm confusing myself. "
"I AM from the future!" Dan almost shouted. But he remembered where they were, and managed to contain himself. "Remember what I told you? About that party?"
"Right." Sinead snorted. "I'm going to call Amy. She probably left something out that you managed to get your hands on." She pulled out her phone, and dialed Amy, ignoring Dan's protests. Dan took a deep breath. So he was going to have to play dirty. Damn Sinead and her logical brain, not believing him.
"Put down the phone" He said, intertwining his fingers and resting his chin on them. It was a trick he learned many years after the fire, interrogating suspects. Taking a sip of his coffee, he put up a front of being calm to put Sinead off.
Sinead frowned at the mature gesture from someone younger than her, but did as she was told. "Okay fine. Tell me one thing that's going to happen in the future that can't possibly be uncovered unless you're from the future."
Dan closed his eyes and tried to remember. It was so long ago, and he was so desperate to rid himself of the memories. Ironic that the only way he'd be able to change it is to dig them up again. But he had already changed the future a bit, and his future memories were being replaced by his present ones. He scrunched up his eyes and dug deep into himself, into a chat that the family had held moments before the fire, a chat where they'd all finally realized how they were being manipulated and laid it out to open.
"You... you're in a long distance relationship right now. He gave you an invite on a website for scientists. You're going to meet him in real life soon."
Sinead gasped. "How in the world do you know that?" She said, dropping the phone.
Dan smirked at the confusion etched across her face. "I'm from the future." He shrugged, as if it was normal for people to come from the future.
Sinead sighed. "Okay, okay. Let's start over." She paused, and took a deep breath. "What do you need help with?"
Dan grimaced, not knowing what to do now that he'd got what he wanted. Averting his eyes, he started slowly. "Well... You know your dream about the fire?"
"Yes...?" Sinead raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Well.." Dan cringed inwardly "Uhh.. that happens."
"Huh?" Sinead seemed puzzled, as if not understanding what he was implying. Dan didn't blame her.
"Umm.. You... die. Actually, everyone dies..." In a softer voice, almost a whisper under his breath, he added "Except me."
A few seconds passed as Sinead processed the information, before she finally reacted. Slamming her hands onto the tabled and shaking their drinks, she ignored the sudden attention on them "WHAT?!"
Dan shook his head, and placed a finger over his lips. "Shh!" He said, "They're looking at us!"
Sinead was panicking. "I die?" She said, disbelief etched on her face. "I don't wanna die!" She wailed, a frenzy of fear overtaking her. Grabbing Dan's hand, she cried "Help me!" with tears now running down her worried face. "Dan! I don't wanna die!"
Dan panicked, this was not how it was supposed to go at all. He was supposed to calmly discuss how to change it, not deal with a crying girl. Pulling her into a hug across the small table, he awkwardly patted her back, before whispering "Follow me. We don't want to gather attention."
They stepped out of the cafe after paying for their drinks, going under a cove of trees off the side.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you everything I know, including my entire relationship. You need to promise you won't get hysterical." Sinead sniffled in reply, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
Crossing his fingers behind his back, he quickly filled her in on some of the most awkward and embarrassing moments, not leaving a single thing out. He didn't want to make a single mistake. There would be no going back, so he told her everything. Once he had finished, Sinead was completely calm. Pulling her face into a thoughtful expression, she looked at him. "So you think that Narcissus..." She paused, leaving the rest hanging.
Dan finished for her, "I think Narcissus is part of the group that kills everyone."
Sinead took a deep breath, looking at him with a stony expression. As she let the breath out, the tension on her face seemed to flow out. She looked at Dan with sympathetic eyes, touching his shoulder lightly.
"Don't worry, we'll fix it, I promise. Now, are you okay?"
Dan looked at her confusedly "Yeah, I am. Why?"
Sinead raised an eyebrow in skepticism "Dan, you just gave me a recount of your entire abusive relationship in detail, only a short period after meeting your abuser. Are you really okay?"
Dan stared at Sinead, and willed himself not to break down, to be macho. But he exploded. "No!" He said. "No, I'm not okay! What do you think its like for me, to watch my sister, and not be able to tell her that she is going to fucking die! It hurts me, but I can't say anything, because she's the type of person to go and confirm it with each person, and that wouldn't work at all! The closest people I have are going to die soon and all I'm doing is acting cowardly!" He wasn't meant to say it. Sinead had been talking about how he was after meeting Narcissus, but he instead ran his mouth about something completely different and much more personal.
Sinead stepped back, raising her hands in a pacifying motion. "Woah. Deep thoughts for one so young. I think that all we can do is..."
Dan cut her off. "What? What can we do? I've searched my mind, racked my brain, and I couldn't think of anything, and then you sit down, and in five minutes have a solution? I don't believe it! And plus, I'm older than you!" Dan glared, at Sinead, his arms crossed, waiting for her response.
It was true. He had wanted to confide in someone, but now that he'd done it he had no idea what to do.
Sinead seemed to be studying him intently, and he stared straight back.
Opening her mouth, she started talking slowly. "You've told me the future. But you've also already changed the present. Tell me in detail what you did."
Dan took several deep breaths, musing about how he was doing it a lot more often. Seemed like he was more susceptible to emotional bursts now than when he was older. Uncrossing his arms, he began to narrate everything that had happened since he woke up. Cringing slightly at the moments that emotions had taken hold of him, Dan went over everything he changed, finally stopping at the chat they were having right now.
Sinead hummed in thought after he finished, her eyes wandering. "We could bluff Narcissus. Or double bluff her. The point is.." she stared straight into Dan's eyes with a ferocity that he didn't see before as he audibly gulped "Dan, are you willing to become a dual spy? You're on our side, obviously, but you must be willing to infiltrate their ranks and give up some information for them to trust you. Make them believe you're loyal to them, and that you're sneaking into our ranks for them, when it's actually the opposite. Do you understand me?"
Dan stared into Sinead's eyes, and he saw her resolution at the plan succeeding. He remembered her terror at being told she was going to die, and imagined Amy with the same terror. If he wasn't going to do anything for himself, he'd do it for Amy, he decided. "Yes." He answered clearly. "I'm willing. I understand."
They stood up and brushed off the leaves that had fallen on them, ready to part as adults. Turning around, they began walking away, before the same thought entered their mind simultaneously. Spinning around, they ran back after each other, almost colliding in the groove.
"How are-am you-I going to get in?!" They whisper-shouted at each other. Looking at each other, laughs bubbled out as they giggled at their absurdity.
But that moment was gone all too quickly, as the gravity of the situation settled in again and Dan said to Sinead, "I don't know how, but I will, somehow, and we'll communicate, somehow, and this will all work out, somehow." He gave a small grin, hoping she'd understand his sincerity.
Sinead smiled back "Somehow." Then the happy expression vanished off her face, and she said, "Dan, if I die, just remember, I'll be waiting for you in hell."
Dan gave her a grim smirk "You don't have to worry about that, I've been there already and they made me their king."