RFY - Chapter 6 - Making Amends

Amelia felt a weight lift off of her shoulders as her living room materialized around her. She looked down at her comatose brother by her feet. She knew he'd be just fine with enough time. Especially if she got the doctors to believe her this time around. He had to be.

No more running.

The thought was loud in her head as she picked up her phone and called the police. They would show up in only a few minutes. She took that time to do something she hadn't even thought about doing during any of the other loops.

She called Ina. Normally, it had been the other way around, but she took the initiative this time around. With her knowledge of what not to do, she could steer this timeline to a good outcome. Maybe then she would have the heart to return back to her original timeline.

"Hey Ame, what's up?" her friend's voice came through the phone cheerfully. Amelia realized she should probably be very sad for what she was about to say. It wasn't that hard to get herself to become sad.

"I-Ina, something happened. I'm gonna be at the hospital. Meet me there ok?" she whimpered. Ina gasped on the other end.

"What?! Are you hurt? What happened?!" Ina sounded frantic.

"I'm fine, I'll explain everything when we meet there."

"I'm on my way," Ina sounded like she was in a massive rush.

"Wait Ina, I'm-" the phone call ended abruptly, "not there yet…" she finished. It was nice to hear Ina's voice again. Her mind still harboured a tiny bit of resentment towards her, but she squashed that down as far as it could go. Ina didn't deserve that.

The police and ambulance arrived shortly after and her and her brother were rushed to the hospital. They all entered the same hospital room Johnny was always taken to. The doctor repeated his lines again and left Amelia alone in the room.

When a knock at the door came a few minutes later, Amelia knew it wasn't the doctor. She opened it and saw Ina with a look of incredible concern on her face.

"Oh my god, Ame are you ok?" she pulled Amelia into a hug. Amelia was initially hesitant towards hugging back, but it only took her a moment before she collapsed into Ina. The relief of seeing her friend, no, best friend, again was overwhelming.

Amelia explained her current situation to a shocked Ina the best she could. Of course, she left out the time traveling and supernatural parts, so she would be taken seriously. Although, something told her that Ina would believe her even if she included them.

During that explanation, she had moved to sitting in the chair with Ina standing next to her. Her friend's hand was firmly placed on her shoulder.

"That's horrible," she said with a hand covering her face. Amelia nodded solemnly.

"At least he's alive-" she said as she turned to her brother on the bed next to her. She stopped short, though.

Johnny was sitting up looking at her. His form looked blurry, but he was definitely sitting up.

"Johnny!" Amelia yelled out, surprising Ina who turned to look. Except now he was laying back on the table. In the blink of an eye, her brother had gone from alive to comatose. What the hell?

"What was that for, Ame?" Ina asked. Amelia looked towards the floor. Her mind was either not fully well yet, or that Priestess was still messing with her.

"It was nothing, I just thought I saw him move…" she said sadly. Ina patted her on the back.

"It'll all be ok. He will get better and your parents will be found," Ina comforted her. Amelia enjoyed this a lot, but she needed to take care of something now.

"I have to talk to the police soon," she said as she got up from the chair. Ina gripped harder on her shoulder.

"I'll come with you." This wasn't something Amelia had heard before. She had never had Ina in here this early, though.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Ina said matter-of-factly. Amelia sighed and agreed to have her stay with her for as much as she could.

The only time from then on that Ina couldn't be next to her was when she gave her police report. Something to do with confidentiality and what not. Otherwise, Ina was Amelia's emotional rock. Even a few hours ago, Amelia wouldn't have ever thought this was possible. And she was so glad that it was.

Ina invited her to stay at her apartment and soon they were both on their way there. It felt so relaxing to arrive back at that familiar place. In fact, it felt so good that Amelia almost fell asleep standing up. Ina ushered her into the extra bedroom she had. Amelia collapsed onto the bed.

"Thank you so much, Ina…" she mumbled out before she fell completely asleep. Ina smiled.

"Don't worry about it," she replied just as Amelia fell into a restful sleep.

The next few days were some of the most enjoyable she'd had in a long time. Ina didn't bring up the recent incident and Amelia made sure to accompany her on the shopping trips. She didn't want to lock herself away again.

Soon, it was the day Gura was going to come over. Amelia had been looking forward to it since the second day. She had even debated on inviting her over early and making up an excuse as to why she had her number later.

"Hey Ame, I invited someone over for a little. I hope you don't mind," the call came from the kitchen. Amelia had been preparing herself to be presentable to Gura in her room.

"Who is it?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's that new transfer student, Gawr Gura, from our photography class. She wanted to help me out with some of the stuff I missed this week. Maybe she could help you, too, since you aren't really artistically inclined." Amelia's heart still skipped a beat hearing that.

Wait, she took photography? It had been so long that she barely even remembered her schedule. A snort of laughter escaped her lips.

"Sounds great!" she called back out to Ina. Gura arrived 45 minutes later to a pair of bright smiles.

"Hello Gura."

"Hey Gura!"

Both girls greeted their soon to be newest friend.

"Hey Ina and," she thought for a moment, "Amelia, right?" Amelia pouted slightly.

"It's not that hard of a name to remember…" she mumbled, getting a rise out of Gura.

"Oh come on, I did remember it," she replied with a laugh. Amelia and Ina laughed with her. The night continued exactly how Amelia expected it to. All three of them accomplished very little homework and talked in circles.

"Man, I'm so glad to have moved here," Gura started a new topic. Ina nodded along.

"Yeah, aren't you from Atlanta?" Gura seemed impressed that Ina remembered that detail.

"Indeed I am. The people here are just nicer than over there," Gura said as she began to think back to her past.

"Do you move around a lot?" Amelia piped up. Gura shook her head.

"No, we're actually one of the first of our family to leave Atlanta."

"What about here makes it so much better?" Ina probed. Gura thought for a long moment before speaking.

"I guess, the people and it's a lot less noisy."

"So you're from the inner city?" Amelia assumed.

"Yep, but not from like, the exact center," Gura explained. Amelia chuckled.

"So is it easier to make friends here or something?"

"I've never really had a hard time making friends before, but I guess it is easier. Honestly, I can already tell the three of us are going to be great friends!" Gura held her fist high with Amelia and Ina copying her. Amelia really didn't want to screw this one up.

More topics flew by with the topic of family being specifically avoided. Amelia got Gura's number in this timeline and had a bit of a scare when the other contact appeared. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice it. The three of them created a group chat off of Amelia's request.

"Man, I'm beat!" Gura leaned back and stretched. Ina yawned and nodded.

"Yeah, I think it's about time we turn in." Amelia agreed with them. Their conversation this time had gone on longer than any other. It was close to midnight, so Gura's parents were probably beginning to worry.

"Then, I'll call up my parents. Hopefully, they're still awake otherwise you might have to drive me."

"That wouldn't be a problem," Ina said humbly. Gura looked over at Amelia.

"How are you getting home?" she asked curiously. Amelia felt a slight jolt run through her.

"Uh, Ame is staying here for now," Ina explained on her behalf. Gura tilted her head to the side.

"For now?" she questioned with ignorance. Ina opened her mouth, but she was shut down by Amelia, who held up a hand to let herself speak.

"My family had an accident," she said quietly. Gura's expression went from confused to shocked so fast it would've been funny if the topic wasn't so dark.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ame," she began to apologize. Amelia just laughed hollowly.

"They'll be fine. I'm sure of it. Don't worry, Gura." Amelia waved a hand in front of her. After a few more minutes of more happy topics, Gura's parents arrived to pick their daughter up.

"Your parents are amazing if they're willing to pick you up this late," Ina said as she glanced at a clock. It was nearing one in the morning by this point.

"Yeah, they're the best. I hope I can meet both of yours some day," she said cheerfully. Ina looked at Amelia for a second.

"Don't worry, you will," Amelia answered with a similar level of excitement.

The three friends said goodbye and the door shut behind Gura as she left. The two roommates stood, staring at the closed door for a bit longer than they should've. Eventually, Ina sighed and turned around to sit down somewhere. Gura's energy was invasive, so she needed to bleed some of it off before sleeping.

Amelia also felt that energy inside of her, but she knew what she should use it for. Just as Ina sat down, Amelia approached and sat next to her. Again, the two stared for an uncomfortably long moment before Amelia broke the silence between them.

"I'm just going to lay it out for you. I like Gura a lot." Amelia was brutally honest with her best friend. Ina seemed to waver slightly before speaking.

"Oh, I see. Well, as it happens, I also like her," she said with hesitation. Amelia sighed.

"Yeah, I figured as much." Both of them sat in an uncomfortable silence for a bit before Ina spoke back up.

"What should we do?" she asked this question like it had an answer. Maybe it did, but it wasn't going to be an easy one. Amelia couldn't tell Ina about her time travel or anything that would happen in the future. She wanted to just let Ina have Gura. Maybe she should...

"It could be a game. Whichever one of us wins her over first keeps her," Amelia said slowly. Ina shook her head.

"We shouldn't treat her like some object of affection. She's a person, Ame."

"Yeah, sorry," Amelia sighed. Ina placed a hand on her back.

"I think you need her," Ina said hesitantly. Amelia looked at her with surprise.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"I mean, go get her Ame." Ina said with as much energy as an injured puppy. It hurt her so much to give up Gura. But her friend was suffering and needed someone like Gura by her side. She had so much to gain by being with Gura, whereas Ina didn't. Amelia slowly put the pieces together. She stared at Ina.

"You're-" she stuttered, "you're just going to give her up? Just like that?" Amelia was shocked at Ina's withdrawal. How could it be so easy for her?

"It's not that easy, Ame," Ina read her mind, "It hurts. It hurts a lot, but it would hurt more to see you sulk. I don't want to see you like that."

Now it all made sense. She wasn't trying to keep Amelia happy with ignorance for her own good. Ina was trying to keep Amelia ignorant so she would have to see her sad again.

"Sometimes, you can be really selfish…" Amelia mumbled out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ina asked with a shocked expression.

"Heh, thanks." Amelia pulled Ina into a hug. She didn't hesitate this time to hug back.

The next day rolled around and sure enough, Gura invited them all to go bowling. They accepted of course and Ina drove them all down there.

The car ride was a reverse of the first time, with Amelia and Gura messing around while Ina sat quietly. Eventually, Ina started to speak up when they all got closer to the bowling alley. It was obvious that she still hadn't emotionally recovered from her conversation with Amelia earlier.

By the time they actually entered the building, all three of them were back in high spirits. Gura once again tried to pick up the massive, purple bowling ball. She relented after a bit of teasing from both Ina and Amelia and grabbed a ball that was more her size.

The first few frames flew by with Ina scoring spare after strike after spare. She was so consistent. Amelia coached Gura a little on the side based off of her previous loop spent with just her. This allowed her to compete faster than normal. Ina always seemed a little bit sad when Amelia talked to Gura off to the side.

Amelia was also better this time around since she'd effectively gone bowling three times in the past three weeks. This development was noticed by Ina.

"Did you go out and practice without me noticing?" Ina asked snarkily. Amelia shrugged.

"What, are you surprised?" Ina laughed.

"In case you didn't notice, I'm still winning. Just wanted to ask a friendly question."

"Doesn't sound that friendly with all of that sarcasm," Amelia said slyly. Gura watched her two friends banter back and forth for a bit before she noticed it was her turn to bowl.

"Ah, sorry," she apologized to no one. It did catch Amelia's attention, who looked at Gura's attempt with analytical eyes. What would she need to teach the small girl this time?

Gura threw the bowling ball fairly straight this time. It rolled down the alley until it was right in front of the pins. It collided with the pins in a very aggressive explosion. They bounced around in the pit for a moment before coming to a rest.

"Yay! Strike!" Gura cried out in joy. She turned with a massive smile on her face to her friends. Ina stood up and congratulated her immediately, while Amelia stayed seated. Something was off about the ball. It wasn't that Gura cheated, it just looked and acted weird at the very end.

It almost looked like the purple ball Gura had tried to pick up earlier. Amelia looked back at the other ball and saw it still sitting on the rack. How weird…

"Did you see that, Ame!?" Gura was suddenly in her face. Amelia felt her entire face flush as she stammered out an answer.

"Y-yeah, of course I d-did." Gura looked satisfied with that answer and sat down.

The rest of the night was spent watching Ina win and Gura slowly get better. Amelia felt herself stagnate just after their second game started. They all finished the night in their usual positions. Although, Gura's was much closer to Amelia's than was comfortable.

"I almost had you!" Gura complained. It was similar to the last time Amelia had been here. She chuckled.

"You would need to play a million more games before you beat me," she teased. Gura pouted.

"Would not."

"Would to."

"Would not!"

"Would to!"

They both burst into laughter after this. Gura's laughter was music to Amelia's ears. She would do anything to hear that sound forever. But something was wrong…

Ina walked quietly next to the laughing duo. Her mind was swirling with second-guessing and regret. But she stuffed all of that down. She needed Amelia to be happy right now. Her friend couldn't go through something terrible again.

They all hopped into Ina's car and began making their way to Gura's house. There were a few more jokes told on the way, but it was mostly silent. All of their energy was spent by now. Both Amelia and Ina didn't know if they should enjoy the quiet or not.

When they arrived, Gura hopped out and said her goodbye's and thank you's. As she trotted off, Amelia felt an urge build up inside her. She needed to say something.

"Gura!" she called out. Gura stopped in her tracks and turned to face the voice calling her. Amelia got out of the car, too, and ran up to the other girl. Ina emotionally prepared herself for what she assumed was coming.

"What's up Ame?" Gura asked innocently. Amelia just stared at her for a little longer than was comfortable, as she thought up the words to say.

"You're a good friend, Gura," she said with a heavy smile. Gura looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" she giggled slightly. Amelia continued to smile.

"Just thought that you should know that," Amelia turned back to the car, "Well I've got to get going!" She began walking back.

"Bye bye!" Gura said as she waved. Amelia waved back.

"I'll miss this…" she said quietly so no one else could hear her.

She got back into the car and both her and Ina headed to Ina's apartment. The ride was even quieter than before. A slight amount of tension filled the air between the two friends. Ina only broke the silence when the apartment door closed behind them.

"I thought, for sure, you were going to confess," she said meekly. She knew it was still a sensitive topic and that she probably shouldn't have brought it up. But as soon as she opened her mouth to backtrack, Amelia replied.

"You were right. This isn't some stupid competition," she said, looking at the floor, "We shouldn't treat her like an object of affection. Which is why you deserve her more than me." The last sentence hit Ina like a truck. What was Amelia doing?

"Why? You need her Ame," Ina sounded slightly desperate. Amelia shook her head and put a hand on her friend.

"I don't. Trust me on this, I think you're better for her. I'm not ready for something like that." Tears hung at the corners of her eyes. Ina knew why Amelia was turning down her offer even if she didn't think it was the right choice.

"I-I'll try my best," she said. Amelia nodded and turned away before her tears started to stream down her own face. They both sat in silence mixed with intermittent sobs for a while.

"I'm heading out to the hospital for a bit," Amelia said as she finally began to move from where she stood.

"You want me to drive you?" Ina asked with her usual kindness. Amelia shook her head again.

"No, I need some alone time. Plus, a little walking sounds like fun."

"It's pretty dark out, though. It could be dangerous."

"I'll be fine, Ina. It'll be quick." Amelia put her friend's worries to rest. Ina nodded with a slight smile.

Amelia returned to her brother's hospital room. She stared down at the time watch in her hand. There was no emotional resistance between her finger and the return switch now. It wasn't like her own Ina and Gura were dead. They could all make amends.

All she wanted to do now was say goodbye to her brother just before she left. The thought of what happened after she left the past had never really crossed her mind. She hoped another version of her would continue on and be there for everyone. But in case she just vanished…

Amelia shook the negativity out of her head. That definitely wasn't something she ever wanted to think about alone. The thought alone could drive her into a deep depression again. She instead focused on her unconscious brother in front of her.

"Hey Johnny," she said quietly, "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to save you. I'm really the worst older sister." Her shoulders slumped as the words poured out of her. She didn't want to get too melodramatic and self pity herself anymore. "But I'll always be here for you. Whatever I wasn't able to do before, I'll make up for it now. I hope you get better. I love you."

Amelia was starting to feel her emotions and tears well up inside her. She was also beginning to question her intention of leaving. She needed to leave now before her resolve fell apart completely. She clicked the time watch so it would return her back to the present.

But nothing happened.

She looked down at it and clicked again. Still nothing. The indicator light was now flashing purple, a color she had never seen there before. She mumbled obscenities to herself before a voice interrupted her.

"You can't go back to a present that no longer exists." Amelia looked up quickly and saw her brother was now sitting up in his bed.

"Johnny!" she yelled. Her initially happy tone faded to worry and concern. His eyes were a deep purple. He wasn't better, just in another weird comatose trance.

"You're present doesn't exist anymore. You can't go back." His mouth moved unnaturally, as if he wasn't sure how to pronounce certain words yet. But the actual words sounded fine, no weird pronunciations or undertones.

"What do you mean I can't go back. My timeline still exists, this is a different one." Amelia was now confused.

"No, you changed the timeline. Now the future is uncertain again." Amelia began to realize what her brother was talking about. "And so is the present." With that last ominous remark, Johnny collapsed back onto his bed. Amelia ran over to him.

"No no no no no, Johnny come back. Come back…" she embraced him and began to cry, her emotions taking hold of her again.

"Doctor!" she called out in between sobs, "Anyone! Please…"

Author's Note: And so the climax begins. I remember reading a comment on the 'Gura Doesn't Know I Exist' animatic talking about how the art became more distorted as Amelia got closer to time traveling at the end. I interrupted that as she was messing with time a little too much and ripping it apart by accident. I just knew I had to write something about it.

Interesting factoid: Destabilization is controlled through emotion. To use it properly on on command, one must be able to convince themselves that they are unsure about whatever they want. With Amelia being as emotional as she's been, there has been no way for her to really control it properly yet. Her emotions have dictated when it showed up.

Another factoid: One of the main themes in this whole series is not running away. Even though it might be easy and maybe you can even escape the consequences, you will never feel whole until you confront that part of yourself. It is something I have struggled with personally and something that I want people to understand and read about. Personal journeys aren't just in fiction you know. Try it out in your own life sometime.

Next Chapter: Something is very, very wrong...

Any feedback/criticism is appreciated!