Chapter 10: Quest

It was a week later, on a Saturday night, when we tried again. This time, we were risking it even more by not having a map. We were just going to fly until we could figure something out. My parents didn't stop us from going to the lab, but it looked like Mom wanted to tell me something.

No, it wasn't my idea. We just didn't account for getting thrown into the GZ when a certain family of annoying ghosts came barging into Jade's room during our little study group.

When Box Ghost, Box Lunch, and the Lunch Lady had been sucked into a thermos, and the portal had been jammed shut, our only option was to try again for Adrian's parents. He didn't seem as depressed about it this time, although I was just freaking out that the same thing would happen again. That is, our Dark versions would attack. That was my biggest concern as well as getting lost. The latter happened.

We'd been going for hours through random doors and avoiding certain islands when we came to a sort of cathedral. We were all too tired to care if something was going to attack us, so of course we stopped there. My feet felt like Jell-O as I walked inside to find a strange room filled with weird screens. Or whatever they were. I don't know what woke me up exactly, but I do know that it was definitely hours later, because I wasn't tired when I jumped to my feet. I looked around, more alert than usual, and Jade, Marine, and Adrian were also up.

"What's going on?" I asked immediately. It didn't take long for my eyes to lock onto the Thermos on the plain pedestal. It was different now, because three more faces were imprinted on the sides. It was Aqua, Andrew, and Dark Shade. A voice behind us made us all jump, but it wasn't any of the faces on the thermos.

It was an old man at first, then a baby, then a young man, then an old man again. He changed over and over, but I could always tell that he wore a cloak, he had a strange staff, and he had a scar over one red eye while the other was unmarked. Another thing I noticed is that the look in his eye made him seem, more or less, friendly.

"I am Clockwork, the Ghost of Time," he first announced. I relaxed immediately, however the others were still on guard.

"Relax, Adrian, Marine, Jade. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't ever have lived. I need you four to do something for me." We looked at him warily. Of course we wanted to hear the favor to be asked first. Clockwork, obviously knowing this, pulled over one of the screens.

"You four are to go into the past in order to keep the future as it is. The time you live in is the cause of you going back. If you don't . . ." he implied enough urgency for us to all get the point with a silent pause. However Jade felt the need to clarify.

"We won't exist." He nodded. Then he made the screen/portal thingy visible to us. It showed an apartment with everything we needed to live there.

"Preparations have been set. You are to attend Casper High—Jade will go as a sophomore because of her high intellect, and the rest of you will be freshmen. Andy and Marine will be disguised when you go out of the house as exchange students because of their resemblance to their parents, and only Jade is allowed outside for the first few weeks when you are not at school to get a feel for the town as in your time she lives in a newer development of Amity. Trust yourselves and each other; I know you can keep time in order. Now, put on these medallions." We each put on one, and they disappeared on contact.

"Now you will stay in the time that I send you. Touch the window and you will be sent back to the year that your parents will be much closer to your age." The others were still hesitant, so I figured that they would go barging in if I did first. Well, he's obviously a good guy if Dark Dan hates him so much. What have I got to lose? I figured. So while they argued a bit, I snuck behind them and jumped into the new apartment. It didn't take long before the others crashed in—quite literally.

"Ow! Get off of me!" yelled Adrian when the two girls landed on top of him.

"Hold on! Okay, now that we're in the apartment . . . wait, what just happened here?" asked Jade.

"I believe that we went back in time. And this is our new house for this little adventure," I said, repeating what Clockwork had already explained.

"To the time when our parents were about our age. That means . . . that my parents are alive!" said Adrian in awe. I was happy for him at first.

"I guess we're getting what we came for, huh, buddy?" Then I realized that he probably wouldn't want to meet his parents—I remembered all too well how Paulina had dumped my dad at the dance and how Dash had stuffed him into lockers daily. I hoped against all hope that they would be nicer by the end of the little escapade.

A few weeks passed, and we got settled in. Jade wasn't around as much, which put Adrian in a bad mood where he would just sit hunched up on the couch with his iPod playing who-knows-what. Occasionally, he, Marine, and I played some video games that were stocked in a cabinet in the living room. One day, when it was just Marine and I, I thought a bit about the day she first came by my school. The seventh grade concert was the one, and I thought about the song, realizing slowly that it must have been for me. After all, she'd written it herself and told me that she was doing the concert because we were friends.

Flashback

Marine walked onstage with her guitar and amps. A few ghosts from her mother's band were her backup players, but no one seemed to notice them as she came towards the microphone.

"I'm going to sing a song I wrote for a certain person in my life that I hope can get the message. I hope you all like it!" she said, tuning her guitar while giving the little speech. After a few chords for the intro, she started to sing with that hypnotic voice that always got me hooked.

"I've known you for years/and I've loved you just as long/we've shared tears/and laughter and now this song./

Still I doubt you realize/that when you look into my eyes/I know you're the one/ I know you're the one!/

I'm waiting for you to see who I really am/Why don't you notice? Everyone else can!/ Just tell me what it takes, I don't know what to do!/ I'm falling (falling) over Clueless You!/

We're both laughing now/because I told you how I feel./ It's not a joke./ I mean it and it's real./

Still I doubt you realize/that when you look into my eyes/I know you're the one/I know you're the one!/

I'm waiting for you to see who I really am/Why don't you notice? Everyone else can!/ Just tell me what it takes, I don't know what to do!/ I'm falling (falling) over Clueless You!/

It's funny you see:/I bet you still don't understand./That's it's to you from me./ I love you so take my hand./" A short guitar solo followed this, and then the bridge again.

"Still I doubt you realize/that when you look into my eyes/I know you're the one/I know you're the one!/

I'm waiting for you to see who I really am/Why don't you notice? Everyone else can!/ Just tell me what it takes, I don't know what to do!/ I'm falling (falling) over Clueless You!" That refrain was so quiet that it was like a clap of thunder when it repeated, and it was obvious that she truly felt the song.

I'm waiting for you to see who I really am/Why don't you notice? Everyone else can!/ Just tell me what it takes, I don't know what to do!/ I'm falling (falling) over Clueless You!/

Are you clueless or just playing dumb?/ Was I clueless thinking you were the one?/ Do you know that you drive me totally insane?/ Do you know my heart beat like a drum when you came?/ . . ." A loud drum solo using a lot of bass followed before the last part of the song.

"Oh just tell me what it takes, I don't know what to do!/ I'm falling (falling)!/ Oh, falling (falling)!/ Yeah, I'm falling in love over Clueless You!"

End Flashback

Of course, the song was meant for me, and I didn't know it. Of course, the song was not meant for Paul, but he thought it was. I looked over at her and thought about why I loved her.

It wasn't just because she was pretty. It wasn't just because she was talented. And I didn't care one way or another about her fame. I really fell in love with her smile at first. I think it was because she was just so happy that she couldn't hide it—it was too genuine to be one of those "say cheese" smiles. When she was happy, she was honestly happy, and when she was sad or angry, I usually was too. It was as infectious as it was real. She made my life worth living and the fact that she was happy always kept me going no matter what. Maybe that's why Andrew was such a horrible thing for me . . . because I understood exactly where he was coming from. Losing her would make life a nightmare. Not only that, but it would make me a nightmare too.

Ta-daa! The tenth chapter finally! It's getting close to the end! Thanks so much everyone for the support of this story. Please let me know what you think by making a review below. See you later!

Flute Chick