"Here," Marty said soothingly to Crystal as he wrapped a large blanket around her shoulders. She dried her wet hair with it, gazing around the drafty basement that Marty had just dragged her into from the streets.
"Are you O.K.?" Marty asked tenderly, sitting down right next to her. Crystal looked forward, expressionless.
"I'm fine," she said, trying to hide the fact that her heart was beating a mile a minute. This wasn't the first time Biff's friend Billy had touched her, but he had never gotten that violent before. Now, what if Billy was dead? What would their father do when he got back? Crystal felt so overwhelmed.
"I miss Dave," she blurted out, her eyes welling up with tears. Marty looked straight ahead.
"I do, too," he said truthfully. Crystal glanced back at Marty, who was shivering in the cold. She took off the blanket around her shoulders and put half of it on his waist.
"No, I'm O.K. You take it," Marty said quickly, pushing the blanket off.
"We'll share it," Crystal said strongly, putting it over both of them. Marty huddled in close to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder, feeling safe for the first time in years. They stayed like that for a long time. Finally Crystal lifted her head.
"Thank you, Marty. For helping me back there," Crystal said sincerely. Marty looked into her youthful looking eyes. We have the same color eyes, he thought to himself.
"You're my sister," he finally said. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." Crystal looked hard at him, trying to decide whether or not she could trust her brother. She finally grinned, that feeling of safeness coming over her again. She went to say something but was interrupted by the basement door slamming open. Both her and Marty jumped up.
"Marty!" a voice called from the top.
"Doc?" Marty asked, walking closer to the stairs. Crystal looked over wearily as an elderly man with crazy white hair soaked to the roots.
"I did it!" Doc exclaimed with a big smile on his face, a bunch of wires in his hand. "I fixed the station wagon. Now we can go back in time and fix the problem and we'll be back to good old 1985."
"What is he talking about, Marty?" Crystal asked, completely confused. Marty spun around, at a loss for words. Crystal's tiny body stood huddled in the corner, her eyes darting from Marty to the Doc. The Doc cleared his voice. Marty glanced back at him and then at Crystal.
"Crystal, this is my friend, Doctor Emmett Brown. He's going to help us." Doc tipped his head. Crystal half-grinned. Marty pushed Doc towards the steps.
"Crystal, I just need to talk to the Doc for a second, but I'll be right back, O.K.?" Marty said quickly.
"Um…alright," Crystal said, sitting back down on the floor, the blanket wrapped around her. Marty nodded and guided Doc outside.
"Marty, is that who I think it is?" Doc asked loudly, trying to keep dry underneath the apartment rooftop.
"Doc, we need to take her with us," Marty said, the rainfall dripping on his hair.
"We can't, Marty! That would disrupt the whole sequence of time!" Doc protested.
"But I can't just leave her here! She's my sister!" Marty hollered back.
"Marty," Doc said seriously, leaning in so Marty could hear him over the downpour. "If we change time, she won't exist anymore. She will have never even been born."
"But you took Clara with you…" Marty pleaded. Doc shook his head.
"This is different. Clara always existed back in 1885. Therefore, she could in 1985. But your sister…she's a part of an alternate reality. Even if we did take her back, she wouldn't belong. Where would she live? Who would you tell your parents she was? There's even the possibility that she already exists in the old 1985."
"What do you mean? You just said if we change time, she does not exist anymore…" Marty asked, confused.
"But that doesn't mean she isn't someone else's child," Doc replied, trying desperately to explain this to Marty. "I believe that in no matter what universe you're in, there is always a part of you, just like your older siblings and you yourself are alive in this reality. In this reality, even though you have a different father, you still exist. In the old 1985, our reality, she will exist, but just in a different form. That is why we can't take her with us. If she meets her other self, it could mean total destruction for the whole galaxy!"
Marty walked slowly down the basement steps, to find Crystal still huddled in the corner. She jumped up and went over to him as soon as she spotted him.
"What's going on?" Crystal asked worriedly. Marty stared at her, unable to speak. He didn't know what to say.
"Everything's going to be alright," Marty said simply, going over to her and giving her a big hug. Crystal hugged him back, unsure of what was happening. She leaned back out of his embrace, looking him in the eyes.
"So what are we going to do?" Crystal asked seriously. Marty's eyes started to water. He backed up away from her.
"Well, my friend needs me to go somewhere with him. It's very important. But as soon as I'm done, I'll be back for you." Marty fidgeted. He was such a bad liar. Crystal said nothing, but just stared at him with a look of hurt and reluctant acceptance.
"You're leaving me," Crystal said simply.
"No, I said I'm coming…" Marty started to say.
"Don't lie to me, Marty!" Crystal said, her eyes watering. "Just tell me the truth!" Marty looked at his feet.
"You wouldn't believe me," he said with a nervous chuckle.
"Try me," she said, her eyes not leaving his. Marty took a deep breath.
"Alright. I didn't have amnesia. I came here in a time machine. I made a mistake while in the past, so now the life I knew has changed. In that life, I never had you as a sister and Biff was never my dad. My mom was married to a man named George McFly." Crystal continued to stare at him expressionless. "Now, I need to go back in time to change the mistake I made so that the life I knew will be back to normal." Marty stopped talking, ready for her to call him crazy. However, Crystal continued to look straight at him.
"So what will happen to me once you go back in time and change this?" Crystal asked seriously. Marty took a step back.
"You mean, you believe me?" Marty asked.
"Of course. I study the stars. I know there are galaxies and universes out there that most people can't even imagine. Whose to say there aren't different realities?" Marty nodded, impressed.
"So what will happen to me?" Crystal asked meekly. Marty frowned, looking at his feet. Crystal took a deep breath. His silence meant everything. "So I just won't exist?" Marty looked up.
"I don't know," Marty whispered. Crystal blinked, grasping it all.
Marty's eyes started to water as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, Crystal." Crystal shrugged, acting like it was no big deal.
"Hey, my life isn't the greatest anyways. No big loss right?" She looked down at the ground.
"That's not true," Marty said softly.
"C'mon, Marty, who are we kidding?" Crystal said firmly. "My mother left me, my dad hates me. I'm unlovable, that's all." Marty walked over to her and put his hands gently on her shoulders.
"I love you," he said sincerely, lifting her chin so she could look at him. Her eyes were filled with hesitation and pain.
"I wish I had a sister like you," Marty whispered, tears now falling down his cheeks. Crystal started crying as well. They looked at each other.
"You better get going. Your ride is waiting for you." She quickly ran out of the basement.
"Wait, Crystal!" Marty followed her, kicking the door open. "Crystal!" He screamed out into the streets. Crystal continued running out into the rain, towards the casino.
"Marty, come on! The storms getting worse," Doc yelled, pulling Marty with him towards the car. Marty's eyes followed Crystal, whose body was getting smaller and smaller. He didn't even realize it when Doc threw him into the car and started driving.