Chapter 6

            I felt my heart skip a beat.  I knew that it was likely that I would die, but to have my fate sealed like this?  To know for certain that I was going to my death, and the Blade Ship would escape despite my sacrifice?  I fell backwards onto my butt, and sat in shock.  I was going to die in less than twenty-four hours.  I reminisced on my life.  Memories, so many memories.  I rocked back and forth as I thought.

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            "Daddy, why is Mommy crying?  Why is she screaming?"  I asked my father.  He looked excited.  I was glanced at Jordan, to make sure she hadn't stolen my cookies.

            "Well Rachel, you know that Mommy has been expecting a baby for a long time now, right?"

            I nodded.

            "Well, she's going to have that little baby in just a bit.  We have to go to the hospital."

            I smiled, and got in the car.  Only seven hours later, the doctors let me into the room to see the new baby.  Mom handed it to me, and made sure I didn't drop it.

            "This is Sara," she said.  "She's your new little sister.  You will take good care of her, won't you?"

            I grinned at my mom, and said yes.  Then, I sat down to look at my new little sister some more.

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            I sat in the lobby of the courthouse, waiting for my parents to come out.  Daddy walked out, and hugged me.  "Why do you have to do this?"  I asked him.  "Why are you and Mommy getting a divorce?"

            He shrugged.  "We just don't love each other anymore.  We fight so much.  It's better this way."

            "Daddy, is it because of me?"

            "No, Honey.  Of course not.  It's just because of your mother and I."

            "Will I still see you?  What's going to happen to me?"

            "Yeah.  We'll still see each other.  Don't worry.  It will all be okay."

            I started to cry, and buried my face into his shoulder in a hug.  "I love you, Daddy."

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            "You going to be okay without me here to take care of you?" he asked.

            "I can take care of myself," I said, wiping away the tears.

            We took the elevator down to a taxi that was waiting.

            "Come with me to the airport.  I'll send you home in the cab."

            I shook my head.  "No, I have stuff to do."

            He smiled.  "I understand.  You probably have something very important to do with your friends."  It was a joke.

            "Absolutely," I said.  "We have to save the world."

            My dad laughed.  "If anyone can do it, honey, it would be you."

            Then the taxi drove off.

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            I walked towards him, and Tobias ran.  I smiled.  He wrapped his arms around me, and put his face into my hair.  I hugged him back.

            "Bad," I said.

            "Yeah," he whispered.  "Real bad.  I came close to, you know.  Awfully close.  I was so... I mean, I didn't..."  He paused, and took a couple of deep breaths.  "I lost myself.  Didn't know who I was.  Not sure I do now."

            "Tobias," I said, quietly, but forcefully.  "I know who you are."

            There was a long silence, when he didn't move.  Neither did I. 

            Then, I said, "Hey, it's nice and warm.  Bet there are some killer thermals."

            He smiled at me.  "Let's fly."

            "Yeah," I said, "Right after I do this."

            I kissed him.

            "Okay, now let's fly," I said, and laughed for the sheer joy of life.

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            Although I was not paying very much attention to my surroundings, I heard the sudden excitement in Cassie's tone.  I started to listen a bit more closely.

"Yahal," she said, "Is it possible to bring things from the other time back through a Sario Rip?  Could Rachel come back with us?"

            My head snapped up, and Yahal's stalk eyes slowly came around to look at Cassie.  I heard his open thoughtspeak.

            It has never been tried before.  I do not know.  Sario Rips are very rare and have only happened a few times.  We have never been able to test if matter can be brought back through.

            I remembered something.  "Cassie, when we tried to rescue that nuclear sub, and the explosion sent us back to the Cretaceous Period, we couldn't morph the Big Rex or Dynonychus."  I turned to Yahal.  "We went through a Sario Rip once before.  We acquired some animals from the time period, which are now extinct.  When we tried morphing them, we found that we could not.  Why is that?"

            Yahal gazed at me steadily.  It is a known fact that once a species dies out, it is no longer possible to morph that animal.  Even if you could bring new matter back with you through the Sario Rip, you would not have been able to morph these animals you speak of.

            "It may be possible then.  But what about the timeline?  I need to be here for you to come later, maybe.  What do we do?  I cannot leave if it will ruin the timeline."

            "I think it is time that we once again call upon the Chee, Rachel."

            I laughed.  Maybe I would live, after all.  "Alright," I said, realizing what Cassie was thinking.  "Let's see their Rachel impression."