During lunch, I did as Helen told me. I said nothing to Mom or Dad. I wondered though if her words were actually true. It didn't sound like a bad idea after all. It seemed mysterious and at the same time adventurous, but it was just so out of the blue. Also, the fact that if I go back in time, I'll be replaced by a clone, seemed odd and creepy. What if our parents find out something's wrong with me? That I act differently than usual.

After some hours, Helen told me she had googled some historical events for me to see in real life, and one of them seemed interesting to her. It wasn't exactly a historical fact, but a murder case. She thought that since our professional inclinations were in this field, I should have my first police case. It was our childhood dream after all.

"Yeah... Fine." I said nonchalantly.

"I have to tell you though! You won't believe it!" she shouted excitedly.

"In 2006 something quite strange happened in Japan: Every day criminals would die of heart attacks, even if they had no health problems. All of them healthy or not were dead. On social media, the one who killed the criminals was given the nickname Kira. He had the ability to kill people without even using a weapon."

Another victim of fake news...I thought.

"You know... We want to be detectives growing up, and that's why I suggest this as your first case. It'll be tiring looking for new year's cases, so we'll stick with this one. It'll be like an adventure! As a practice though."

"I guess it'll be fun... But what do you mean by my first case? Aren't you coming with me?"

"Well... It's not for my taste. It's for yours who prefer thrillers. And this one feels like a thriller."

"Movies can't be real."

"They can, Marina! You'll see it once you arrive. It'll make you think I was right!"

I changed the topic for a moment, ignoring her childish behaviour.

"What about the replacer you were talking about?"

"As I said, no one will see the difference because she's going to act exactly like you. Even in appearance will be the same as you. There's no reason to worry."

"Understood. The marker is yours, you know best."

"Well? Are you going?"

Since summer is the same every year,—you stay home to avoid sunstroke and you're incredibly bored—I had nothing else to do anyway. It was the holidays. After all, intrigue would be good for me.

"Alright, Helen you won. I'll travel. But first I need to pack my bags since I'll be staying in a hotel."

"No suitcases needed. The marker can make enough space for lots of things inside a small backpack."

"That's what marker does too? Just how much can it do anyway?"

"Anything to have a convenient trip. And if you need to pay, you just draw the amount you want on a sketch notebook."

"But I don't draw well."

"The marker is clever. It'll find out exactly what you have in mind." she smiled.

I looked at the clock. It was a quarter past four.

"What time do you think should I leave?"

"Take your time to take anything you want. I suggest leaving around half past six to seven o'clock. Some say these hours bring good luck to travellers." she replied and then left the room.

I didn't expect it to be honest. Basically, anyone in my position would be as confused as I was. Who takes children seriously, especially those with a vivid imagination? The prospect of travelling through time with a marker sounded exciting before I even realize Helen's words were true.

*

*

When I eventually got ready, Helen drew a triangular shape in the air with the marker, the luggage got inside my green backpack. She also gave me a sketch notebook. Then cut off a piece of paper, drew a circle and wrote:

«October 2006, Japan, Tokyo»

And the circle turned into a huge hole.

"Are you ready? Your replacement will come after you're gone. Have a good time, Marina!"

I hugged her tightly.

"I'll miss you..."

"I'll miss you too. But remember: you're going on an adventure!"

"I hope it indeed turns out to be an adventure..."

"Good luck!" she wished.

Then I jumped into the hole. I was inside of it while watching the dates go backwards. Like a score in a video game but in reverse. Until I got to the year 2006. When I got to Tokyo, I was blown away! Until now, I had only seen Tokyo in pictures or in movies. But now, I could see it spread out before me! Houses, buildings, what unique architecture! Anywhere you go, you could see cafes, restaurants, manga shops, gyms, and karaoke clubs... Such a Luxury! Of course, Athens in front of Tokyo is a kindergarten...

As I gazed at the shops, there was a crowd gathered in a corner. I went to see what was going on. People were watching the news on a building's big screen. It was about Kira. The reporter said that the police suspect Kira of being a criminal who has committed many murders over the past six years. Then a picture of a girl with brown straight long hair appeared. Surprisingly, she didn't look like an Asian. She looked exactly like me, both in face and hair!

I heard someone screaming. Then turned around and saw a frightened little boy pointing at me. Apparently, he thought I was the killer. I was left looking at the crowd in confusion. All the people there went mad! Others ran for their lives, and others called the police. I was astonished. I tried to explain it was just a misunderstanding, but they either didn't want to listen or didn't speak English.

Suddenly within this fuss, there was a patrol car coming.

"What the..." I mumbled.

I couldn't do anything in all this chaos, so I started running for my life. I didn't know where I was going, but this was the safest option. My heart pounded like a drum.

At one point I reached an alley hoping they wouldn't find me. After a while, I came out of the hiding place relieved. But my relief didn't last long. Suddenly there were hands on my shoulders. I turned around and noticed a policeman handcuffing me and covering my eyes with a handkerchief.

"Let me go! It's a misunderstanding! Am not the person you think! How can't you tell apart a woman from a girl?! Aren't you ashamed?!" I continued screaming.

The story is under correction and thus, there may be several changes to the text as it's a translation from Greek to English. It has been a long time since I read any literary text, and also English is not my mother language. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.