Chapter 10.

We walked outside after I'd retrieved the house key and locked the door. Maybe talking to Warren would give me some insight about everything that had happened between us. The weather was getting colder and I was grateful for the coat, even so it was uncomfortable walking hand in hand with someone who had been, if not a complete stranger, a complete mystery to me days before.

He didn't say anything else until we were a few blocks away, at a little run down park, empty of any little denizens. An old man walked past, a large mutt in tow. I genuinely smiled for the first time that day and watched as the large animal passed us, straining at the leash. I actually didn't mind the sparse fall of rain and the clouds, somehow the air seemed a lot better out here then it had all week. I breathed in deeply, enjoying and wondering how Warren had known that I'd needed it.

My heart rate actually resembled normal when he motioned to a bench and we sat. The cold from the seat seeped through my pants and I shivered slightly. He turned to look at me and in all seriousness began to speak. "So spill it Lyd and don't leave anything out…"

Lying to his face seemed really sleazy so I was silent, trying to think of something I could tell him, "I don't know…Dad's been really peevish lately, I just don't know what he wants from me…"

"Short from your soul?"

"In writing…" I added, glad that I was given such a wonderful father compared to my uncle, "He's a villain," I said softly.

Warren looked as if he was going to smile, believing I was still jesting but the tone of voice caught his ear. His grip on my hand tightened. If anyone knew about having a villain for a father it would be Warren Peace, and he knew that I wasn't joking. Suddenly I knew for one reason or another I had to tell him…all of it. He deserved to know, and once history was changed back I'd feel better about not deceiving him. Besides, above all there was this gut feeling that bordered on fate, I was meant to tell him.

"I have something to tell you that might be hard to believe."

"Harder than believing you're actually the daughter of Queen Elizabeth?"

I was shocked that I had told him that, since I'd never ventured to tell anyone else…of course I'd never dated before this either, "Yeah, harder than that…Something's happened and I'm not quite sure how to explain it…that man we talked to at my house, he's not my dad, he's my uncle, pretending to be my dad."

Warren half-smirked but caught himself before it could turn into a full fledged smile. At least he was trying to be understanding, but what I was saying wasn't easy to handle, "I don't know, he seemed like the same jerk I'd met before."

"What if I told you that my dad had an evil twin brother…?" I paused, "Never mind don't answer that…The point is, my dad does have an evil twin brother and they both have the same power, chronokinesis. They can travel through time, usually only along their own lifetime but sometimes even farther back."

"Like when you were born."

"Yeah, the problem is my uncle is a crazy villain and he has it out for my dad because he betrayed him."

"Your uncle betrayed your father?"

"No my dad betrayed my father by turning him in to the authorities. A couple days ago my uncle escaped from prison and captured or killed my dad," I looked up and brushed a strand of red hair from my eyes. I wanted to make sure he was following all of this.

"So he's been pretending to be your dad for a couple of days because…"

"Not a couple of days…years, in fact if what I've figured out is right probably two or more years, ever since before sophomore year…" my tone grew excited, "Look, my uncle can travel through time, so when he escapes he doesn't mosey on down to the nearest directory to find his brother…he just travels back in time to some event that he knows my dad was at and messes with history to…you know."

"Get rid of him."

"Yeah so, then he buys some contacts, figures out where we're living and comes to the house pretending to be my dad so that the authorities won't be able to track him, see only a few people are able to detect changes in history, the rest wouldn't notice the difference in the present they'd just suddenly be living in an alternate dimension with no memories of the real one."

"So you lived with him for years and didn't notice until today?"

"No…I don't know how to explain this other than to say, I was born with the ability to notice changes. So when I woke this morning everything was different…you can't imagine how much everything's changed…but my uncle doesn't know I have that ability, so he thinks I've just been living for the past years like everyone else, thinking he's my dad."

Warren let go of my hand and played with the fringe of one of his red pieces of hair. I looked up trying to think of some way to make him understand what had happened to me. Without some understanding of time and its intricacies that seemed nearly impossible.

"So what was different…I mean your dad's death couldn't have affected that much, especially when no one knew about it."

I turned my head to the side, intent on examining the slide that towered a little ways away. When I looked back I knew he'd be staring, waiting for an answer. Surprisingly, he wasn't staring at me, he was just as eager to look away. It was almost as if he knew my answer and didn't want to hear it.

"Well…for one thing Stronghold is a total hero, Layla's the nicest person you'd ever meet and Magenta isn't so hard-core…Sky High is actually in the sky and we get there by rocket propulsion buses."

"Seriously Lyd."

"I'm being dead serious. I think it has something to do with Jetstream…she's not dead in my dimension."

"What about me?"

"You haven't changed…well except for the fact that you don't hate my guts here, but wait does that mean you actually believe me?"

He turned his head and nudged me with his shoulder, "Of course I believe you…why wouldn't I? Why do I hate you?" he said taking my hand again and standing up.

"I insulted your comic books."

"Ah, well that sucks."

I chuckled lightly, detecting the undertone of seriousness that pervaded his words. He knew but he didn't want to ask. "So when we fix all of this?"

"You get Stronghold for a best friend," I said cheerfully trying to distract him.

"Yeah, but you and I…we."

"There's no we," I said flatly and then regretted it, "I'll try Warren, I swear if I can ever get back there I'll try and do something."

His jaw clenched and unclenched, "You better," he said gruffly, "I just can't believe I wouldn't remember any of it…that you don't remember any of it."

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me…" I said softly, wondering why I always thought of Shakespeare.

"Is that Shakespeare or something?"

"Or something…" I answered leaning my head on his shoulder as we walked. There weren't words to describe that moment. The moment I realized I wanted to fight injustice for the rest of my life. I had always planned on hiding my powers and making a normal life after I graduated from high school. But now, with this person walking beside me, a person with feelings who would be taken advantage of because of the powers of a sick villain…I wanted to save Warren the pain but knew I couldn't…he would forget it soon enough when things were made right.

Who knew a twenty minute walk could reveal so much?

"So how do we fix it?" he asked, voice gravelly, as we walked back to my house.

It finally hit me, how easily he had taken the news. How much he trusted me and the desire to help me, even if it meant changing life as he knew it. I found myself wishing that I had tried to know him better, wishing I had the same relationship with him in my dimension.

"I don't know," I answered, mulling over the futile situation. "I know this all has something to do with Jetstream's death…Maybe my father saved her in the real dimension and she in turn saved someone who helped create the real, floating Sky High. Maybe Secondhand killed my father when he was supposed to save Jetstream."

"There's no way to find out for sure?"

"Not that I can think of, I've been running everything through my brain, trying to dig up something that my father said that had to do with this…He always told me what I should do in certain situations…"

Warren smirked and pulled a strand of my hair playfully, "He couldn't have thought of everything. I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting anything as complicated as this."

"Who would?"

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It was eight o'clock exactly. I opened the back door quietly, knowing that nobody would hear it anyway. Our house was kind of secluded, with a lot of open space beyond the backyard. My "father" had, as I had suspected, the night shift wherever he worked and would be gone. I peered beyond the fence when I reached it, reluctant to climb over it in the dark. Steeling myself I jumped and caught hold of the top of the wooden fence.

I ignored the minuscule jabs of splinters and vaulted over onto the wild grass on the other side. I shivered involuntarily because, after all, it was getting chilly and I was alone with a mysterious secret agent hidden somewhere close by. I looked to where the tall bushes were located: the perfect place to hide. Peering deeper into their shelter, I stepped forward just as another figure appeared from amongst them. He was tall, at least six foot with sunglasses covering any emotion that might have been read in his eyes.

Even though it was dark I could see that he had red hair, and a complexion not unlike my own. I immediately recognized him as the man who had so often appeared to be spying on me; the man Knight had called Fintan. He beckoned me forward with a finger and we stopped under the protection of the leafy shrubbery. I was nervous, hoping that this was indeed the man I was supposed to meet, and that he, as I suspected, was on my side.

Once shielded by any curious eyes amongst the foliage, he took off his sunglasses, it was too dark to tell what color his eyes were, "I hope you didn't have too much trouble coming."

"No, just a couple splinters."

"Good. It's time we talked about rescuing your father. Your uncle will know something is up if he sees me around...I've had the unfortunate opportunity of meeting him face to face, and we can't risk Knight's identity being revealed after we've done so much to protect him. That leaves the majority of the responsibility up to you."

"Warren might help," I said before thinking and then hoped the agent wouldn't take the words badly.

A grim twist of his lips turned into a familiar smile. Where had I seen that smile before? "You told him," he said after a moment of silence, "I suppose it's for the best, though I'd advise you not to get emotionally involved with him, once things are fixed…nothing will be the same."

"I understand, but I can hardly help it," I looked at my feet, "He wants to help, even after realizing that we won't be together, after realizing I don't even remember us having any sort of attachment. That's loyalty that comes from something deeper than a casual acquaintance."

"Don't let it go to your head Lydia. He's a born hero, it's in his nature. Nonetheless, his help will be useful, but I want you to secure the alliance of another student as well, someone who is intimately involved in all of this… Will Stronghold."

AN: I guess my warning last chapter turned more people away then I guessed. If you're still reading this story I'd like to know what you think, reviews are very helpful to any writer. Thanks for cooperation and patience in the updates!