Chapter 3: Mistakes are Made

I gather all of the work I and my sister have done into my backpack. The experiment in our club is nearly completed and all of this is absolutely needed. After closing up the bag, I heavily sigh and head for the phone. Claire had gone to see Hershel for a bit so I dialed his phone number.

"Hello?" a voice asks. "Hi Hershel, its Teresa. Are you two having a good time" "Yes we are, would you like to talk to Claire?" "Yes please, thank you." The line goes quiet as the boy finds my sister. "Teresa, you kind of chose the wrong time to call. What is it, though?" she chuckles.

I remind her of the meeting going on today and she gets angry at herself for forgetting. "If you want, I can come get you and we can go together." I suggest. Claire agrees and we both hang up. Grabbing the used car keys I now own, I lock the house doors and drove to Hershel's house. The day is rather bright so I slip on my sunglasses to block the rays of sunlight.

Ever since I introduced my older sibling to my "boyfriend" (I'm not dating him), they have been particularly close. It's not like I have a problem with that, I'm just happy for them. Claire still hangs out with me, and doesn't spend every waking moment with him. She knows when to keep her distance. They do make an adorable couple, giving each other presents and whatnot. Sometimes they even invite me to join them.

Spotting the plant shrouded home, I pull up at the curb and park my car. I ring the doorbell and Claire slowly opens it. She smiles and murmurs, "Just give me a minute to get ready." She leaves the door open and gestures me to come in. I close the door after me and gander at the very cozy home. I then notice Hershel sitting at a table with a black top hat instead of his red one.

"That hat looks nice on you, Hershel." He looks up from the table and smiles. "Does it really? I think it's a bit old fashioned for me." He confesses. "Nonsense, it gives a look of...knowledge and having the essence of a true gentleman." I point out. He ducks his head in an embarrassment. "I guess you're right, Teresa." Claire walks in and puts her denim jacket on. "If my sister agrees, then you have to wear it." She tells him before pecking him on the cheek.

After saying goodbye, we arrive at the meeting place for our club. It's a brick building, probably an apartment complex. We enter through the doors and travel up the stairs. Inside the room, Dmitri points at a large metal machine and we take a seat in some folding chairs. "If my calculations are correct, then our test subject should be able to travel about 9 years into the future. I must leave for a while, though. There a couple missing pieces to the machine, so I leave Bill in charge until I return." He announces before closing the door on the way out.

Claire and I take out our pieces of the project and straighten them out. Bill walks around the room, observing everyone's work. He was always quiet since the beginning of the club. "Claire, are you sure you want to be the test subject? Something could go wrong and who knows what time travel could do to a person." I worry. She looks at me sympathetically and says, "It's my choice what I want to do. And I wish to be the experimental subject," she pauses to set her hand on my shoulder, "I promise I'll be alright."

After adding the last touches to the time machine, Bill reviews it silently. We all watch, eagerly awaiting his decision. "By the looks of it, I give this contraption the consent of operation." He declares. The room erupts in cries of joy, people hugging one another and high fiving. "So let's begin the experiment." Bill determinedly says. Everyone stops talking and stares at him. Someone from the crowd calls out, "I don't think Dmitri would approve of us starting without him." Murmurs of agreement spread around the group of people. "Dmitri put me in charge, did he not?" Bill asked with a raised voice. Nobody answers. "So I say we start the experiment."

Claire stands between the two pillars of the time machine and looks at me with a smile. I can feel my throat clog with anxiety and my eyes start to water. "Claire, please don't do this. I'm afraid for you." I choke out. She takes my hand and holds it between hers. "Everything will turn out just fine, sister." She stops for a moment. "I'll always be here, no where else."

Bill counts down from 10 and I prepare to pull down the lever. As everyone stands at a distance away, my hands begin to shake and I turn towards Claire for comfort. She smiles and quickly throws me her jacket. I catch it and set it beside me. "3, 2, 1 and pull!" Bill cries out. I yank the lever down hard and watch as a light aura from the center of the machine glows immensely. I squint and prepare for the liftoff.

The control box of the machine starts to spark and before I know it, I'm being thrown back by a massive explosion. I can't see Claire anymore and my vision blurs, turning everything white. "...Claire?"

Uh-oh! What will come next for Teresa? You'll see in the next chapter. Thanks so much for taking time from you schedule and reading my story :)

Any suggestions for my updates are welcome and keep those eyes on the screen!