iTurn Back in Time
Chapter 21: Finale
"If we are really meant for each other, we'll meet again for sure."
Sam
"Travis..." I heard him mutter.
My mouth hang open. I covered it by putting a little shaky hand on my agape mouth and tried not to scream. This was all getting confusing. I didn't know what's real and what's fake anymore.
I watched the two of them exchange dark looks as a silent fight erupted from them. It made me cringe. There were two Freddies with me.
The Freddie beside me spoke. "Who do you think the real Freddie is, Sam?"
I stared at him with a confused look. I saw the other Freddie turn to look at me too, expecting me to give my answer. I flinched as I felt his gaze on me.
I opened my mouth to speak when the other Freddie mouthed me something. I held my breath as soon as his lips started to move.
"We're the same."
Now it makes sense.
I cleared my throat, preparing for my answer. My voice croaked a little. "You are both Freddie... so I don't have to choose from anyone of you."
I bit my lip as soon as I finished my sentence. A small smile escaped from his lips. "Good job. But I'm not who you think I am." He shook his head. "I am not your Freddie."
I shifted my gaze to the Freddie who just came up. He smiled at me too. Now it makes perfect sense.
"Who are you then?" I asked the boy to my right.
"I'm Travis." He answered. "I am the one who made your lives miserable."
"What do you-"
He cut me off. "I am Freddie in another world. I'm the one who helped him travel through time to save you and at the same time, planned all the things against him. I was plotting my revenge."
"Revenge? Freddie did nothing wrong!" I hissed.
Travis nodded. "Yes, and that was my mistake." His face went paler. "I am ready for the consequences, and I hope you will give me the chance to explain myself."
I listened to him attentively as Travis unraveled one by one the secrets he kept.
"This is how it happened: My Sam died. She was everything to me. I love her so much. I would do anything for her too, the same amount of Freddie's love for you. It was January 18, 2010 and the same accident happened to her. She got hit by a truck and I witnessed her death. I rushed to her place and told her to hold onto me. But it was too late. I couldn't save her. She died. But before that, she told me to "take what is mine." I misunderstood what she meant. It took me a couple of weeks before figuring out what I thought she told me. I committed suicide. When my soul drifted away from my body, I started searching for her.
"That's when I found the two of you. Without me realizing, my soul has already arrived to your world where the two of you were living normal lives. I thought you were my Sam so I devised a plan to get you from Freddie. I thought what she told me was to take you from him. But I have been wrong. Very wrong.
"My plan was to kill you. The truck that hit you the night of January 18, 2010 on your world was the result of my anger. I controlled the truck and planned to take your soul with me. I have mistaken you for being my Sam. I waited for your soul to drift away but it stayed with Freddie. All along your soul was with him and that angered me much more. Freddie was depressed and I took it as my advantage and decided to trick him.
"I told him that I can help him travel to the past and save you. He agreed and I transported him to an alternate world where I can control everything that was happening. I want him to suffer the same pain I was suffering. I thought everything was going well according to plan but Freddie handled the things by himself. He saved you and died. It wasn't what it' supposed to be."
After that, I stared at him for a minute or two. I froze in my place, still unable to comprehend. Freddie must have seen the look in my face when he went up to my side and gave my hand a little squeeze. That felt better.
"Soon, I realized I was wrong. You love each other so much. He died for you. When you were at the hospital, you cried so much for him. It was like it's the end for you. It broke my heart when I saw you crying, Sam. I saw her in you."
"So, what did your Sam actually meant?" I asked him.
"I still can remember them clearly." Travis closed his eyes. "Freddie, I'm sorry. Now, take what is yours. Those were her last words before she left. It was her heart what she told me was mine."
"So, your real name is Freddie?" I asked.
"Yes." Travis nodded.
There were still a million questions in my head. I didn't know what to ask first. "But how did I get here?"
The Freddie from my world spoke. "When you touched the camera in the iCarly studio, it gave the way for you to be transported in this place because it was the object that connected me from the world I came from and the world Travis made. This is why I asked you to bring the camera in the iCarly studio so that you can use it when this day comes. That camera was from the past. So when you brought it there, technically, it connects everything. And there's also someone who helped me plan all of this."
"Who?"
"Death." He answered.
"Death?" I repeated. "Woah." I turned to Travis. "So, can we go back now to our world?"
"Yes, but my powers have been all drained and nothing was left. You see, I only got my powers because of anger. Anger does a lot of things. It destroys the person who contains it in his heart."
"But what are we supposed to do?" Panic was rising in my chest.
"To go back, you two should pay the exact same thing it took me to create this world to maintain the balance of all things. I created this alternate universe because of my love for Sam. And that love resulted to anger. You two should be able to equal that same amount."
"And that is...?" I trailed off.
"Our love for each other." Freddie finished. I looked at him.
"When you two get back to your own world, you won't see each other in the same eyes anymore." Said Travis.
"No! Why do we have to do that!" I yelled. "There's no fucking way that I'll do what you're saying! And, and why does it have to be us? You made this, right? Then you should be the one to fix this mess!"
"I'm sorry," Travis looked down at his feet. " It's the only way I know."
"We have to do this, Sam." Freddie placed held my face on his hands. "In order to make everything the way it was."
"No," I said, crying. "That won't happen. Shut up, Fredgeek! That would not absolutely happen!"
Freddie leaned and kissed me. More tears fell. That kiss was made to make me feel comfortable, but it didn't work.
He was the one to pull away. I cried harder and hugged him. I am not letting him go this time. He was the boy I ever loved. He was the only one I ever believed in, the only person who told me everything is going to be alright. He was the boy who changed me, who let me see Samantha Joy Puckett as a different being.
Freddie looked into my eyes. "If we are really meant for each other, we'll meet again for sure."
"I love you, nub." I told him.
"I'm glad to know that. I love you too, Sam.
Those words mattered. They're the only words I needed to hear. But they weren't enough. Soon, he's going to forget about me. I don't if I can take that.
The realization dawned on me. He wasn't the only one who's going to forget.
Would I still remember his face? His touch? His warmth? His love?
I don't know. It pains me so much. But I have to do this. I need to do this. No matter how much I don't want to let go, I have no choice. It's for the greater good.
All those things we did together in the past. All those used to be's. Those were the things I'm holding on to. And now, in an instant, they would be gone. Forever. Erased from my memory with no trace of whatever was left behind.
Travis cleared his throat. "Now, close your eyes and imagine the place where you both want to go back to. Focus on it and don't open your eyes until you get there. And Before you go, there's something I want to tell you...when the time comes when you meet again, don't waste another chance. Tell that you love each other. Don't hold anything back. Say it before it's too late."
I nodded and reached for Freddie's hand. He held mine and our hands intertwined.
I wish you luck...were the last words I heard from Travis.
I woke up on Carly's couch on a bright Saturday morning. Spencer was there making breakfast and Carly was in the kitchen helping his brother. As soon as I opened my eyes, they landed on a metallic wall clock above the television set. It said 8:16 AM, January 18. I stared at it. There was something significant about this day.
January 18...
"Oh, you're awake Sam! Good morning!" Carly greeted me.
"'Morning, Carls. Hey, I smell bacon."
There was a knock on the door. My heart skipped a beat. It felt like I was waiting for someone.
"I got it." Carly reached for the door. She opened it. There stood was a boy in blue stripes and brown messy hair. I stared at him. There was something familiar about him.
Those pair of brown eyes...I've seen them somewhere.
That's when it all sank in.
"Hey. I was just going to say..."
"...That we should kiss?
"Just so both of us can get it over with?"
"Just to get it over with."
"Sam, promise me you'll believe anything I say."
"You know it's my hobby to tease you right? As a gift, I am not torturing you today. But it was too hard for me so I decided to keep my mouth shut and spend the whole day quiet. Understand?"
"I hate you, Benson. I hate you. I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!"
"Don't go anywhere else on January 18, 2010."
"Dude, that's like next year!"
"Just promise me that you'll never go out on that day."
"Promise me that after you have been through all the trials in your life, you'll love someone and be happy with him forever."
"Do you trust me?"
"It's all my fault."
"I love you, Sam"
"I love you, nub."
"Freddie?"
He smiled. That meant a yes.
"Oh, Freddie, come in." Carly motioned for him to enter.
"I'm glad you already remembered. " Freddie whispered.
Tears formed in my eyes. "I hate you, nub. I hate you!" I said, half smiling half crying. I smacked him in the arm.
"Ow." He rubbed his arm. "After all what happened, you're still able to punch me that hard!"
I grinned. "Yes, of course. Because you're the nub whom I am destined to smack all the time."
"Correction. For a lifetime." He corrected.
I laughed. "What happened to Travis?"
"He found a way to fix the mess himself. He sacrificed his soul for everything he had done. He perished and never got to see his Sam again."
"That's...awful. But I'm glad he realized his mistakes. After all, he's still a part of you."
Freddie whispered in my ear. "I love you, Sam."
I smiled. "I love you too."
"Hey guys, what are you whispering about?" Carly asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. Hey come on, let's eat! Man, I'm hungry!" I rubbed my stomach and went to the table. Carly placed the plates and brought breakfast so we can eat together.
I never forgot about Freddie. Maybe it's not the right time for us to be together, but I'm going to wait until that come times. As for now, I think we would just enjoy our lives being the same Sam and Freddie right from the very beginning, without labels. We already know about each other's feelings, and that's enough.
No one knows what the future holds. We never know what might happen. But we love each other and nothing can change that...not even time and space.
Erika's Chiz
OMG. It's over. I can't believe it.
So, what do you think? (gulp)
Do you guys think that I should still do an epilogue? I think it's already fine the way it ended... =)
Thank you so much for everything. You rock. You inspire me to write.
And for last chapter's reviewers, I'm sending you virtual cookies! Yay!
Me yeah it's me, WingsFlyEra, PolarPurple, Geekquality, hartful13, Dude Your Awesome8, hankie212, Author Penholder!