A.N. Thank you to SWIwannabe and The PhantomismyLove for reviewing. I'm glad that you want to read more. To SWIwannabe, I will try to take your suggestion in some places, where I realize that I can cut out some of the thoughts, but others I think are necessary. But I appreciate your constructive criticism, I really do! It helped me see that there were indeed places where I could improve. To everyone, enjoy and please review! Reviews make me happy, and give me incentive to update faster :)
Sophia enjoyed the pranks that she and Tom played on the bullies. She didn't think the bullies would be bothering anyone anytime soon. She did feel guilty with the realization that they had stooped to the level of the bullies, but she knew that that was only because the bullies had started it, and she and Tom wouldn't bother the bullies now that they had learned their lesson. It was worth it, she thought. We only taught them a lesson, so that they wouldn't hurt us. Or others, for that matter. They bothered other kids and pushed them around too, but now they won't. Sophia didn't realize that she was changing Tom, changing time. She didn't realize that she had prevented one of the steps that Tom would've taken on his way to becoming Voldemort if he had hurt Amy and Dennis until they went mad. She did understand his thirst for revenge, but she had managed to turn it into an effective way to get revenge and get the real message across - the fact that they felt hurt and humiliated by those kids' actions and that they didn't appreciate it.
Sophia and Tom weren't bothered by the other children anymore, but come August, Sophia had what she felt was a bigger problem to worry about. The 'other Sophia' in her other time, the one who was still growing up with her family, was moving. She was moving from Mayfield to Solon. The Sophia who was moving was excited about going to a new school, especially since she had heard that it was one of the best schools at the time, but the Sophia in the past knew better. When she had 'moved' to the orphanage, she had made an unknown social mistake and was now an outcast. Of course, she didn't regret it, but if Sophia made a mistake, her reputation might go down the drain, and she might be left without a friend. It was while thinking about this that she realized how much she relied on Tom for company. Sophia wasn't a loner, and knew it would be hard without friends. Be careful, Sophia thought to herself.
Who are you? Sophia was startled to hear the voice in her head seem like her own yet feel like it came from outside. I keep hearing your thoughts and memories, and I know that I've never been to Britain, even though that's where you seem to be. Sophia realized that she could communicate with the future Sophia, and decided to reply.
I'm you. It's hard to explain what happened, but I was sent back in time. Seeing how you're still in 2004, I must've been made younger when I was sent back in time. I just want to tell you that I've had the experience of moving, and you've got to be careful.
You don't have many friends, though, so what would you know? Future Sophia sneered. She didn't realize how biting she could sound, and was surprised that she was talking this way - to herself, no less!
That's because I'd rather be friends with Tom than have many other friends here at the orphanage. My heart has also hardened a little bit when I realized that there are lots of people who are mean. You, though, haven't had many people be mean to you, so you'll just have to be careful. I mean, be yourself mostly, but try to assess the situation and then adapt. Don't do anything outright stupid, and don't show that you're smart right away, unless there are other smart but nice people. If you're in a class of popular people, it'll be best to only act a little smart, because popular people are anything but brainiacs. And don't tell anyone about me.
Um, okay? I'll see. And of course I won't tell them about you. I'm not crazy. Then, the future Sophia stopped 'thinking toward' 1934 Sophia. Sophia was nervous for her future self. The first day of school came along. She saw herself see a group of girls talking. 'Hey! I'm Sophia. I'm new.' She saw the girls look at each other. 'Hey Sophia,' they said back, but they didn't invite her into their conversation. Sophia sat down by them and tried to talk to them. 'Do you think that the teacher will be mean?' The girls responded dully, but it was clear that they weren't going to be guys were just guys, and Sophia figured that they were mostly popular, too. There was one smart kid in their class, but he was just so annoying. He was like Tom in the sense that they were both smart and both preferred to be mostly alone instead of being around most other kids. But this boy, blond, tall, and a bit chubby, paraded around like a peacock, and Sophia hated him.
That school year started off badly. Despite the future Sophia's efforts to fit in, she didn't really make any good friends. Her future self missed her old friends so much that even Sophia found herself crying like she hadn't for years. She was so mad and sad that she looked up at the calendar, wishing that she could turn back the clock for her future self and that her future self could've stayed in Mayfield, or at least given her friends a better goodbye. All of a sudden, the calendar blew up. Ohmigod! Did I just do magic? she asked herself in utter shock, unable to believe what had happened. I'm just like Tom! I'm special and magical too! She ran to Tom's room to tell him the news.
"Tom! Tom! Guess what?" When she got to Tom's room, she was glad to find that Tom was alone in his room. "I can do magic!"
"What? How do you know?"
"I blew up the calendar." Sophia then proceeded to tell him what had happened, starting from her talking to her future self, to her crying over her future self's loss, and then ending with the calendar blowing up.
"You cried? Because your future self had to move away from her friends?" Tom sounded a bit condensing.
"Well, yeah. I feel sorry for her. She's not used to as much loneliness as I am, and she was so sad that it got to me, like a contagious disease."
"Well, you should tell her that you don't really need company, and that she should be able to do fine without it. You're smart, and you don't really need anyone. I like being your friend, but if you weren't, I wouldn't be devastated. I think that you're at least more like that, if not completely like that, and she should be like that too. After all, she must be like you, smart, creative, you know." Tom finished, stammering a bit at the end.
"You're right. I will tell her that. You have to admit, I might not have discovered my magic if I wasn't upset." Sophia was so satisfied. While she didn't let it get to her and come in between her and Tom's friendship, Sophia couldn't help but feel inferior every time Tom performed magic. She couldn't help but hate her normalcy, hate her inability to do such amazing things and wield such power. Now that she could though, she was excited and relieved, since now she felt that she was on more equal footing with Tom. Sophia and Tom practiced trying to do things with their magic along with their study sessions. In time, they could make pages of books turn on their own and summon newspapers. They realized that controlling their magic required extreme willpower, so they had to really want something to make it work. They had tried using magic to make each other origami presents, and their origami had turned out a bit better than usual.
"Look Tom," Sophia exclaimed as she magically managed to make her paper crane float and flap its wings. Tom smiled and attempted to do the same with his, managing to make it float higher.
"Ha," he replied. "Mine can float higher than yours."
"Hey, that's not fair! You've been able to do magic longer than I have, so you have more practice!" Sophia whined. Before long, their magic, just as their academics before, turned competitive. Sophia enjoyed the competition. It makes me want to do my best, she reflected.
Sophia had almost forgotten about her future self, until one day she felt her heart beat strangely faster. She then had a mental image of an unfamiliar pale boy with long dark hair, and Sophia innately understood that this boy was causing her heart to beat up. What? I don't even know him, she thought, bewildered. Her unspoken question was answered when she heard her future self's thoughts. I really like him, future-Sophia thought wistfully. From the moment she acknowledged this, Sophia's mind was bombarded with the boy. It was almost as if she herself had a crush on this boy! She tried not to let it affect her, but was failing miserably.
"Hey Tom, since you are done with that book about space, can I have it?" Sophia asked him. She had been going out of her way to distract her unfortunate linked mind by throwing herself more into books and talking to Tom. She looked at him, but she found that it wasn't helping. Instead of distracting her from the stranger boy, looking at Tom her stomach felt light, almost airy. I guess this is the 'butterflies in the stomach' feeling, Sophia figured. Her mind quickly reeled back at the realization. What? Why? I'm not nervous, and I'm trying to forget the boy. It's working, too! I shouldn't be getting butterflies by looking at my friend! Tom, oblivious to her inner turmoil, handed her the book, and their fingers brushed, sending a tingle through her nerves and speeding up her heartbeat. Sophia was frozen still at the unexpected sensation.
She'd have to have a word with her future self again.