Oh my gosh, I finally updated! Thank you for sticking with me, we are halfway there! Uber big round of applause to Ria-Dancer girl for editting this. Thanks Ria, I'm glad you're not missing anymore :D
[January 1, 2010]
Off in the distance, they watched fireworks explode in the French sky at the stroke of midnight. There were so many people on the sky deck of the ship, Theresa was sure that it was a safety hazard.
"Happy New Year, honey!" Jerry exclaimed, kissing her. She smiled and automatically put her hand on her protruding belly. Yes, this would be a great year, she could tell already.
"I'm going to get us some champagne," he said, then left her in the swarm of people laughing, cheering, celebrating and kissing in the new year.
"Wow, Theresa. Jerry is just the sweetest husband," Theresa's new friend Samantha said as the two watched Jerry's retreating figure.
Theresa agreed, "Yeah, I haven't been this happy in a while. A surprise cruise? A surprise baby? A lazy husband suddenly becoming the perfect man of my dreams? It's all very…"
"Nice? Appreciated? Thoughtful?" Samantha suggested.
"Unexpected," Theresa stated. She really should just enjoy the bliss and not look a gift horse in the mouth. But she couldn't help but wonder… what brought this on? Why was Jerry acting this way? She knew all he really wanted to do on this ship was lay by the pool, maybe go to the spa, and lounge at the pizza bar. Yet the whole trip, he had eagerly agreed to her every wish and command. He willingly accompanied her to visit the foreign countries, go sightseeing, take plenty of pictures, and even go shopping. It almost made her want to ask him to get a tattoo, just to see if he would.
"What do you mean?" Samantha asked.
"Don't get me wrong, he was always a loving husband, he just had a different way of showing it. He's a sarcastic penny pincher who shows he cares by pretending he doesn't. He's Jerry Russo for crying out loud." Theresa left out the fact that he was an ex-wizard, obviously. "What caused this change of heart?"
Samantha shrugged. "Maybe he had a revelation and decided to be a better husband. Or maybe, it has something to do with his flashforward. What did he see?"
"He was buying drinks at Starbucks. I'd hardly call that inspirational," Theresa said. Soon, the subject was dropped, but the suspicion still remained in the back of her mind.
Jerry located the bar and got his two champagne glasses easily. It was squeezing his way back into the crowd that was the hard part. After several fruitless attempts and a hardcore ninja move to save the champagne from spilling over, Jerry gave up and wandered to an empty portion of the deck.
The stars were shining brightly and he made his first New Year's resolution. He will do anything in his power to prevent his flashforward from coming true.
"Hey, Dad!"
Jerry whipped around to see Max walking up next to him. They both leaned against the railing, watching the French night time scenery reflect in the water. Max didn't say anything more, so Jerry continued to contemplate. In order to save his marriage and his family, he first has to figure out what the problem is going to be. His cryptic flashforward didn't exactly hand him any clues. All he knows is that Alex and Justin were mentioned…
…could this all really be Alex's fault? A likely accusation, but still.
"Max, have you seen your sister? Or brother?" Jerry asked.
"No, why?" Max answered a bit too quickly. "They're probably just hanging out with their new English friends or something. I'm sure they're up here somewhere. There are only so many places you can go on a ship, you know. That's all, why do you ask?"
Jerry gave his youngest son a questioning glance. "Um, okay… Can't a father ask where his children are?"
"Sure, sure, of course you can," Max said. "You aren't suspicious of them or anything, right?"
"No…" Jerry stared at Max. "Should I be…?"
"No!" Max shouted. "Um… uh… so why are you standing here alone during the first seconds of 2010?"
Jerry noticed the not so subtle topic change but decided not to question Max's strangeness today. "I could ask you the same thing."
Max made his best mysterious face. "But I asked you first."
"I just… I just… I need to think, okay?" Jerry said. "I need some alone time to de-stress."
"I thought that's what vacations in general were for."
"Yeah, well sometimes I need to de-stress from all the de-stressing."
"Dad? Is something bothering you?"
Suddenly, Jerry had the overwhelming urge to tell someone, anyone, about his flashforward. The frustration has been building up for far too long. If he didn't vent about his doubts and fears soon, he was sure to implode. He looked up and down the deck, but besides Max, there was no one else. He would much rather spill his secret to a stranger that he'll never meet again, but instead, he will just have to settle with his own son. This could potentially end very badly.
"Actually, something is bothering me. It's been bothering me for a while now," he confessed.
"You know you can tell me anything, right Dad?"
"Max, can you keep a secret?"
Max blinked a few times before nodding. "Contrary to what you may think, I can."
Maybe it was the fact that no one believes half of what Max says anyway, or maybe it was how he knew Max would believe him. He trusted his youngest son, probably more so than his other, more responsible children. "Promise you won't tell anyone. Not Alex, not Justin, and especially not your mom."
"I promise."
"Okay, so you know my flashforward, about ordering coffee? That's a total lie."
Max's shocked expression was expected and oddly comforting.
"I actually saw myself sitting in a small café—maybe it was Starbucks, I don't know—and I was talking to Tina Goldberg. She's a friend that I haven't seen in almost twenty years. But the worst part is what I told her. I said that your mom was having our baby right then, but I wasn't allowed to see them. Not that I wasn't going to see them, but that I wasn't allowed to. I'm going to get kicked out of the house, Max. Something I do in the foreseeable future will upset your mother and I'll be in big trouble. That's what is bothering me."
"That's…wow."
"I just hate that I know something bad is coming, but I don't know what it is. I want to prevent it from happening, more than anything. But I don't know how."
Max awkwardly patted Jerry's arm. He's an awkward child, so you can't blame him. "Gosh, that sucks Dad. You have no idea what the horrible thing you'll do is?"
"Nope. The only other thing I mentioned in my flashforward was something about Justin and Alex being rebellious, but I don't think that has anything to do with it. I'm sure they did nothing wrong," Jerry explained. Max had a coughing fit then.
"That's… uh… yeah, you're right. I mean, you know Alex, she's always pulling pranks on us," Max said with a shaky laugh.
"This was no prank though, Max. Do you know how it feels to be told you are forbidden to see your own newborn son?" When Max was about to answer his rhetorical question, Jerry hurriedly continued. "It's awful. I'm super aware of everything I do and I'm trying so hard not to mess anything up. I bought the tickets for this cruise."
"You paid for this vacation? I thought you won it in a contest."
"I only said that so you guys wouldn't get suspicious. I knew your mom always wanted to tour Europe. Right now, I just want to make her happy. Speaking of which, I really should go back before your mom wonders where I went with our champagne."
"You should probably do that." Max nodded. "Oh, and just so you know, I believe you, Dad. I know you didn't mean to do whatever it is that you are going to do. And I will forgive you. I promise."
With a sigh of relief, Jerry hugged Max, careful not to spill any champagne. "Thank you, Max. That means a lot to me."
Jerry pulled back and dived into the mob of partygoers. With Max's support, he felt so much stronger. He wasn't alone anymore, for all it takes is two to form a team. All those stories about a child finally finding an ally in his parent, here is a story about a parent finally finding an ally in his son. He felt he could face whatever fate was throwing his way.
A bright firework exploded in the sky, forming the numbers 2010.
He sighed. He can do it. Only 119 more days until doomsday.
[January 9, 2010]
"…Justin, why is Alex sleeping in your room?"
Alex shifted in her sleep. She opened her eyes and then quickly closed them again, the sunlight pouring in through the open window blinding her at first. She pushed the blue covers down out of her face and squinted to focus in on her mother and brother talking. Theresa was halfway in the room, one hand holding onto the doorknob. Justin was seated at his desk with his laptop open and turned halfway to look at their mom.
Whoa. Justin. His desk. His collection of dolls. His full shelf of books. His TOB poster.
His bed.
Alex was pulled back to reality when she realized that she had never woken up early to sneak back to her room. And here was their mother, clear proof that her plan had backfired completely. Justin told her so.
"Oh, uh, she came in here at like five in the morning to pull a prank on me, but she tripped at the foot of my bed and woke me up. Then she collapsed onto my bed whining about how her foot hurt and how it was the ankle she twisted before. She made me go downstairs and get her an ice pack but when I came back she was already asleep." Justin lied perfectly. He must have rehearsed.
"Ah. Sounds like something Alex would do." Theresa stepped back into the hallway but then popped her head in again. "But why didn't you wake her up and make her go back to her own room?"
Then Justin stuttered. "Uh…well…s-s-she complained, when I-I tried. You know how crabby A-Alex is when she is half awake."
Theresa nodded and glanced in Alex's direction. Immediately shutting her eyes again, Alex pretended she was still asleep. "Then how come you didn't just carry her back?" Theresa questioned Justin.
"Because…" he trailed off.
"Oh that's right." Theresa was halfway down the hall before she finished her sentence. "You're a wimp."
Alex was feigning sleep but she couldn't help it; she burst into laughter at that statement. It was one thing to tease her brother about his weakness: it was another to have their mother confirm it as well. She rolled over onto her back laughed hysterically. Everything was funnier in the mornings anyway. Her giggles didn't cease until she felt the bed sink to her left and a pillow hit her face.
"Shut up," Justin mumbled, lying down beside her.
After removing the pillow from on top of her face, she looked up at him and smiled innocently. "That was some fib back there," she commented.
"I had all morning to come up with something," he said with a shrug.
She rolled her eyes. "You are so lame."
"Sorry I can't lie on the spot like you can. Sorry I'm not a natural at fooling people like you are."
"Tell me about it. I swear, sometimes, I think you're not my brother." She froze right as the last word slipped out of her mouth. That was precisely the exact worst thing to say.
She took a cautious glance up to his face. His expression was morose, all playfulness gone. "I'd wish for that any day," he finally whispered.
Curling up against him and not really caring who walks in on them, Alex rested her head on his shoulder. "Me too."
After breathing in sync for a long moment, Justin sighed. She felt his chest gradually sink. She wondered how it had come to this. How did one little vision change everything?
It was dark outside. The only glow came from her clock on the bedside table that shined 10:00 in a bright green hue.
She wasn't alone, which was the weird part. But she liked the warmth he was emitting from the other side of the bed. There was a tugging in her heart and she turned to her side, gently placing her fingers on his arm. The simple contact seemed to set her skin on fire. Warm, tingly emotions spread from her head to her toes. She wanted him. So bad.(Alex had always identified this warm feeling with her flashforward and only recently did she realize she has been experiencing this new love in reality too. Her flashforward was already coming true.)
"Justin…" she whispered, in an alluring voice that surprised him as well as herself.
She climbed over to straddle him and kissed him aggressively, a strong anxiety taking over her. It was like they only had so long to love, like they only had such moments to cherish. Her hands roamed his bare torso as their lips never broke contact. His touch was making her blood and pulse go haywire. There were only passion, lust, and love in her mind; guilt was nonexistent. Maybe that's the part that scares her the most.
Her fingers trailed down his toned chest and abs finally reaching the button of his jeans.
It only took one glance at Justin after the world awoke to know just how he reacted to flashforward. He had fallen in love with her simply because he knew he would be in love with her in the future. It amused her more than it disgusted her, though. Of course, she was more strong-willed than that. And she was a better actress (although Justin's large gullibility made her life a lot easier). It would take more than a mere vision to make her go gaga for her dorky brother. Instead, she resorted to the one thing she excelled at: teasing Justin. Because if he was going to yearn for her, she might as well make him suffer and make it fun.
The plan was foolproof, or so she thought. She didn't expect herself to fall in love with him as well. That memorable Christmas Eve, she knew he was on the verge of breaking down. She could see it in his eyes. So she created the mistletoe, leaned to his ear, and whispered, "Don't you get it, stupid? I saw the same flashforward. I know what you're feeling. I know you're jealous. I know everything. You don't have to hide from me, Justin," she tried her best to sound seductive. "Kiss me."
And he did. And she discovered the flaw in her plan.
Who knew that torturing her brother for his demented feelings would cause Alex to wind up with the same twisted emotions? Who knew one little mocking kiss would awake the desire inside her and bring their relationship to a whole new level of wrong? More importantly, who knew Justin was such a good kisser? It was one thing for Justin to have a crush on his own sister. It was another thing entirely for Alex to like him back.
After their kiss of confession and the unexpected confrontation with Max, they all decided it was best if they could forget the feelings they had. They didn't want to hurt their parents or get caught. But it was terrible to endure. At school, Harper stayed glued to Alex's hip, her eyes apt to catch any wrong move from Alex or Justin. At home, Jerry and Theresa seemed to be everywhere, and Alex was growing paranoid. Alex and Justin were doing their best to act normal, to act like they were still the same brother and sister they had always been. But what happens in Paris doesn't stay in Paris. The whole week they've been back from the vacation, Alex has ignored every butterfly in her stomach, but that doesn't mean they're not there. Alex can't kiss Justin once on the cruise and be expected never to kiss him again.
So last night, when she seriously couldn't take the Justin-withdrawals any longer, she walked nimbly into Justin's room and climbed right into his bed without waiting for permission. Justin only chuckled and brought her closer to him—he probably thought it was ironic that she was the one being tormented now.
"What happened to forgetting our feelings?" he asked with a smile.
"Screw it." Then she kissed him with the passion accumulated all week. She climbed on top of him and brought their bodies closer, mirroring her actions in her flashforward.
"Alex," he breathed out, "I think you're a few months early."
She laughed and snuggled up against him, soon drifting to sleep in his perfect arms. She understood now why they would be in her room on April 29, making out like there was no tomorrow. Justin's touch and scent and taste were completely addicting…
"We used to always be like this, you know," Justin said, snapping Alex out of her thoughts and bringing her back to the morning. "When we were little, you used to crawl into my bed whenever there was a thunderstorm. Or after a scary movie. Or after a nightmare."
"Or when I just felt lonely," she admitted. "We used to be really close."
"What happened?"
"Well, what happens to all brothers and sisters. We grew up. We got under each other's skin. But, you know, maybe that's why siblings fight all the time. Because if they didn't—"
"—they might end up like us."
[January 20, 2010]
"Anyone see anything?" Justin asked.
Alex squinted into the crystal ball, but all she saw was the upside-down reflection of Justin, who was sitting across from her, and the decorations in the lair. "I'm not seeing anything. What are we even looking for?"
"Your flashforward! We're trying to use Dad's crystal ball to see our flashforward," Justin explained. Alex could think of plenty of things she'd rather do on a Wednesday night.
"But what's the use in seeing what we already know?" Max asked. "And why are we here without Dad?"
Justin gave a loud sigh and dropped his arms to his lap, an action Alex has named the 'I'm surrounded by idiots' maneuver. "The whole point of keeping Alex and me a secret is so that Dad doesn't find out," he said.
"Oh." Max went back to staring at the clear sphere.
"You know, they say that the flashforwards can be changed after all," Justin continued talking. "It was on the news. An FBI agent who was part of the Mosaic investigation committed suicide because in his flashforward, he found out he hit a woman with his car and killed her. That's why these visions can change. If the guy died, then the woman will never get hit by the car!"
Justin seemed a little too excited about that news, especially since it did involve the death of a man. "Why, do you want to change your flashforward or something?" Alex asked.
"Uh, well," he froze, looking uncertainly at her. "Don't you?"
She ignored the pang in her chest that his answer caused her. "That was really heroic of the FBI agent, but it might be in vain. Remember your science project? The Worlds Theory or something?"
"You mean the Many Worlds Theory? The one I did my presentation on?" Justin corrected.
"Yeah, whatever. Well, if destiny said that the lady was going to die, then one man's self-sacrificing act isn't going to change that."
Justin's eyebrows furrowed. "First, kudos for remembering my science presentation; you can retain information after all. And second, you have a point. The agent only caused the woman's life to enter a new world where she doesn't get hit by his car. But fate and destiny and the universe are going to keep pushing back until everything is on the right path again. So what you're saying is, unfortunately, the lady is probably going to die another way."
Alex nodded. "I'd rather not fight destiny." To be honest, she'd rather just be with Justin, whatever it takes. Not that she would ever admit something so cliché and mushy out loud.
Justin groaned, giving up on the crystal ball. "Flashforwards add a whole new dimension to the Many Worlds Theory. We got a glimpse of our destined future, but that is only one outcome out of the infinite number of outcomes possible. Technically, if we make one wrong decision and enter one wrong world, April 29 will be different from our vision."
"So all we need to do is find one of those world-splitting decisions and make sure to choose the other option, right? We can change our future?" Max asked.
Alex and Justin stared at their brother's sudden burst of non-stupidity.
"Um, hypothetically speaking of course," Max corrected. He looked around attempting to be inconspicuous but Alex saw right through it.
Justin shook his head. "It's not that easy, Max. Like I said, even if we did happen to take one step down a different path, the universe will try and push us back. Besides, how are we even going to know which decision is vital to our flashforward future?"
Alex thought about it. Had Justin only restrained himself from her temptation all those months because he thought he could outsmart destiny? But what if destiny had planned that all along too? Justin continued his rant but science can only hold Alex's attention for so long. Instead, she watched Justin's avid hand gestures as he described the physics of fate. Why did she never notice how attractive he looked before? Oh right. Because before, she was sane and didn't think illegal thoughts about her brother.
Blame the flashforward. Blame the kiss.
"Why do you think destiny wants you two to be together?" Max asked. His current knowledgeable observations were really freaking Alex out. Since when did her younger brother listen to Justin's quantum physics rant and actually understand it?
"What?" she said.
"Your flashforward is of the future your destiny chose for you, right? So why did destiny stick you and Justin together?" Max reasoned. "I mean, if you two were meant to be, why did destiny make you brother and sister in the first place?"
His words struck something in Alex's brain. Max was right. Everything was messed up. It wasn't supposed to be messed up like this. There had to be a reason the universe was shoving Alex and Justin at each other. The universe must be trying to fix a mistake…That's when the epiphany hit.
Somewhere, sometime, something must have gone terribly wrong.
"Justin, aren't there fortune tellers in the wizarding world?" she asked, impatient to test her new hypothesis.
"Yes, there are. Why?"
"Because I think they are more reliable than this crystal ball that doesn't ever work," she stated matter-of-factly.
She watched in amusement as understanding dawned on Justin and then Max. Of course they didn't think of this earlier. With a smirk, she got up from her seat and opened the multi-colored door to the magical world. Seriously, what would this family do without her?
Alex Russo wasn't sure what she was going to do with her new emotions toward Justin and she wasn't sure how they were going to settle this dilemma. So she did what she always did in the face of disaster: she put those off for later. Right now, she just wanted to know why.
Madame Boswell's schedule just happened to have an opening for the Russos. Alex sat with Max in the waiting room while Justin anxiously paced the small hallway. She and Max just rolled their eyes. Soon, a god awfully ugly troll stalked out of the office followed by an elaborately dressed gypsy.
"I'll see you next week, Gavin!" the gypsy called. "Alright, now are you the Russos?"
"Yes," Justin nodded.
"I'm Madame Boswell," the gypsy said, "number one fortune teller and palm reader in the entire wizarding world. Now come on in."
With a swish of her long purple skirt, Madame Boswell disappeared into her office, waiting for them to follow. Entering the room, they were awestruck by the interior design. The brilliant colored carpet, the gold draperies, the long red couch, the satin throw pillows, and the striped wallpaper gave the room a certain Romani feel. The room matched Madame Boswell's crazy outfit. As Alex, Justin, and Max sat down on the soft sofa, Alex was reminded of the time they traveled into the genie's lamp, since the décor was quite similar.
Wait a minute. Back then, she had intended to wish for Justin not to be her brother anymore, only the genie twisted her words around and ended up making Justin invisible. She had gotten her brother back, but in retrospect, the whole situation was quite ironic. Because here she was, two years later, wishing for the same thing again.
Oh destiny. You jokester, you.
"Justin, Alex, Max," Madame Boswell greeted.
Alex overlooked the strange fact that this lady knew her name without an introduction. "Hello. Can you help us?"
"I sure hope so!" Madame Boswell said. "What do you need me to do? Read your palms? See into your future? Explain your flashforward?"
"The third one, please," Justin said.
"Of course." Madame Boswell fetched her crystal ball and placed it on the table in front of them. This orb was twice as big as the one they had back home. The holder was carved out of mahogany with intricate designs etched into it. Madame Boswell waved her hand over the crystal ball and the inside begun to turn foggy. Alex was right, this gypsy was a lot better at this than they were.
"I've been getting tons of flashforward explanation requests these days," Madame Boswell shared. "One worldwide phenomenon and that's all anyone ever talks about!"
Alex suddenly felt nervous. Did they trust this woman enough to let her see the scandalous flashforward? Her act on impulse strategy was failing here; perhaps she should've thought this plan of action through before stepping headfirst into the wizarding world.
"You do have client confidentiality, right Madame?" Justin asked. When Alex gave him a befuddled look, he whispered, "Confidentiality means she'll keep our secret a secret." So Justin was thinking the same thing then. That made her smile.
"Oh of course," Madame Boswell assured. "If I tell other people, it might mess the whole thing up. A tiny mistake can affect a whole future. I'm only here to show you your future, not change it."
"But by telling us what's coming, you're just helping us to change it," Justin pointed out.
"If you want to mess with destiny then go ahead, that is none of my concern," Madame Boswell said. Alex was confused by the contradicting words. Hypocrite much? "Now let's see your flashforwards. Who would like to go first?"
Alex and Justin glanced at each other before Justin said, "We kind of had the same flashforward. We were together, and that's what we need help with. Max is just here for, uh, moral support."
"Two heads are better than one. Three heads are better than none." Seriously, Madame Boswell made no sense.
The fog in the crystal ball began to clear and Alex saw her flashforward, the cause of endless dreams and nightmares, being replayed in front of her eyes again. This time, the crystal ball took a third person's point of view so Alex and Justin could see themselves too. Alex had to admit, it looked worse the second time around. The way she arched her back against his chest, the lack of articles of clothing, and the deep, heated kiss all shouted 'INCEST' louder than any alarm. She quickly covered Max's eyes before her naïve little brother could get corrupted and disturbed for life.
Although she bent rules left and right, this crime was no comparison to any of the misdemeanors she's ever committed. But Alex doesn't feel guilty easily. She doesn't see how being in love with someone related to you could be so bad. If they never have children, then the world shouldn't care so much. Love is love. Or does that only apply to gays and lesbians?
"Oh my," Madame Boswell exclaimed after the two minutes and seventeen seconds of sin was over and the crystal ball returned to its opaque state. "When you said you were together, I didn't know you meant it that way."
Alex took her hand off of Max's face. "Just… just tell us how we got to this point," Alex said with a shallow breath. Justin was both appalled and pleased by the replay of the vision. Either way, he was incapable of speech at the moment.
"You want to know why the fates are against you, eh?" Madame Boswell reached over and held both Alex and Justin's hands. She closed her eyes tight and mumbled incoherent chants, using a magic that was beyond the Russo wizards.
"Oh no, oh no no no," Madame Boswell said, quickly letting go of their hands. "You poor souls," she whispered, giving them sympathetic looks.
Looks like Alex was right in her speculations after all. Their life was messed up and it wasn't even their fault. Yet being right didn't make this any easier.
"W-What do you mean?" Justin asked, tensing up next to Alex.
Madame Boswell was already taking out her tarot cards, shuffling and dealing out cards face down in front of them. She proceeded to flip over each card and grimaced when she saw each omen. Alex didn't understand the symbolic illustrations on the cards, but she figured it must be dreadful.
"This is not good," Madame Boswell mumbled. Justin, Alex, and Max shared puzzled looks. Grabbing a thick volume off the shelf, Madame Boswell finally turned to the kids. "I am so sorry, it seems like there has been a huge mistake."
She flipped open the gigantic book and instead of words or pictures, the pages were mostly blank. After a few seconds, however, two faces appeared on the pages. Alex realized that this was some sort of magic motion picture book. Then she recognized the two faces as younger versions of her parents.
"Mom and Dad?" Max said.
"Yes," Madame Boswell nodded. "For all the lives of your family's previous generations, things have gone according to plan, more or less. Your grandpa married your grandma, your uncle fell in love with your aunt, et cetera, all not a moment too soon or too late. But when it came to your parents, things went off-course. To put it simply, your mother and father should not have gotten married. Your mom, Theresa, was destined to marry her high school sweetheart Jack. They had dated steadily for almost eight years and he was getting ready to propose." The left page of the book showed various clips of Theresa's life with a man, presumably Jack, whom they've never seen before.
"And as for your father," Madame Boswell continued, "he was supposed to end up with Tina, his girlfriend of two years." The right page began showing Jerry's side of the story. The two pages played side by side. Alex scrunched her nose; it was weird seeing your parents with other people.
"So what happened?" Justin asked.
"Tina broke up with Jerry. She was indecisive about moving to New York with him and in the end, picked the wrong choice. Then, sad and distraught, Jerry accidentally walked right into the road and almost got hit by a car. The car swerved away and just missed him, but the tire rolled onto a sharp scrap of metal lying on the side of the road. After that the car continued to drive for a few miles. It wasn't until the car got onto the highway did the metal sink into the tire. One bump in the road and the tire went flat. So the car pulled over to the side of the road and waited for a tow truck."
Alex watched the images on the page. She thought she knew where this was going.
Madame Boswell paused dramatically before continuing. "Jack was always a speedy driver. He was driving home from work and merged onto the almost empty highway the previous car was on. A song he didn't like came on the radio and Jack went to change the station. If he was looking up, he would have seen the car parked towards the side and could have driven around it. But instead, he didn't see the car until it was too late. Jack crashed into the parked car going nearly 90 miles an hour."
Involuntarily, Alex gasped. She saw it coming, but it still made her sad. Justin took her hand, making her feel slightly better.
"The parked car's driver had gotten out, so he was fine. But that guy isn't related to your lives. Jack died that day. And death is one thing fate and the universe cannot change. Consequently, Theresa went to the planned Caribbean trip with her mom instead. Jerry also had planned to go to the Caribbean with Tina, but he just went by himself. The two were not supposed to cross paths. But then water was spilt and they met and they talked and the rest you know."
"Okay, but how does that affect us?" Alex asked.
Madame Boswell's expression turned soft. She reached over and patted Alex's shoulder, the bells on her dress jingling with her every movement. "Theresa and Jack were destined to have a daughter," she said, pointing to Alex. "Jerry and Tina were destined to have two sons," she said, pointing to Justin and Max. "And the older son of Jerry and the daughter of Theresa were always destined to fall in love."
Alex's stomach gave a lurch at those words. She just wasn't sure if that was a positive reaction or a negative one.
"So…the universe is trying to fix the big chain of mistakes by making Alex and I fall in love anyway?" Justin asked. Alex's heart skipped a beat because Justin just implied he loved her.
The gypsy nodded. "If you two get together, then fate is back on track."
The whole predetermined fate was hard to wrap your mind around. Alex and Justin were always meant to be, but their current sibling status was not their fault. Years before they were even born, their parents entered one wrong world after another. To Alex, it didn't seem fair that Justin and she have to pay for the damage their parents caused a generation ago.
"So, technically, this is all that Tina chick's fault, right?" Alex asked. "If she didn't dump Dad, then the car would never have gotten the flat, Jack would still be alive, and Justin and I wouldn't be related." She developed a strong hatred for that women right then.
"Wait, Tina Goldberg?" Max spoke for the first time since they got there.
Alex, Justin, and Madame Boswell all gave him an astonished look. "Yeah," Madame Boswell said, "but how did you know?"
"Um… nothing," Max lied. "I just heard that name somewhere before…"
If Alex's thoughts weren't so jumbled by the information Madame Boswell had given them, she totally would not have let Max off that easily.
"Our mom and dad changed their fate," Justin said, "doesn't that mean we can change ours?" Again, Justin's words were a stab to Alex's chest. Why was he intent on changing fate? He loved her, but he didn't want to love her? What?
Madame Boswell closed the book, signalling that their session was over. "There is one theory that says the blackout and flashforwards only happened because the world was too hectic and fate needed everyone to be back where they were supposed to be. It was like pushing a reset button. Unfortunately, you two are victims of fate's actions. You can try to fight it, but I wouldn't advise it. Your destiny was written before you were born. It's going to take a lot more than strong will to change it."
Well, that was a long chapter! Over 6,000 words, it must be a record for me.
So now, Max has become the bearer of secrets. He's like the underdog; everyone thinks he's stupid, but he's really not. Root for him. And Jerry. And I guess Justin and Alex need your support too. You finally got an Alex POV this chapter too. I hope this was up to expectations :) Oh, and did anyone notice my date tribute to High School Musical?
