This entire situation could have gone worse, the Time Machine could not have worked. I could still be in the basement of the loft with my boyfriend Mark in 2035. We'd sigh with
complete defeat and continue our work. But the time machine did work. I was back in time, I was in the loft's basement and according to the calendar in the custodian's closet,
it was 2014. I wasn't even a thought in my parent's minds yet. The same electrical switch box Mark and I worked on was there. Right next to the current timeline's box. Our
pencil marks were there, an asterisk next to the operating switch, the switch that would bring me back. You had to squint to see it but it was there. I couldn't believe it worked.
Holy shit.
My dad didn't own this part of the loft yet so I had to get out before getting caught. Hearing nothing I opened the closet and made my way up the stairs to the main floor. I
looked at my phone which was a working paperweight at this point. I carried it to know the time and day from my timeline. If our math is correct, I have until midnight. Midnight
my time and this timeline midnight, which happen to coincide at the same time. That's when the quantum time synapse is triggered at the speed of light, taking me back to the
future.
There wasn't a clear objective to this trip. The past needed to stay the same so I could exist. I stepped onto the sidewalk. I couldn't help feeling nostalgic. Not for me but
for my parents. All their stories came trickling into my mind. I walked towards the coffee shop that I hoped was there. And by god, it was. I walked in and it looked… new. The
same vintage frames dawned on the walls and I smiled. I looked to the spot where my family's portrait would be in the future. Right now, it was just my dad's signed frame. I
rolled my eyes and patted my pockets for cash. I walked up to the cashier, she smiled at me with genuine intrigue, "Hi, can I get a medium nonfat latte with two pumps of
sugar-free vanilla, please?" I realized it was Molly! Molly from my timeline, was obviously much younger. Molly took a second to respond to me, she was studying me, "Yes,
sorry. It's just that you look very familiar to someone and this is her exact order. Sorry. I'll get that for you." I had handed her the cash
during the exchange because she was too busy studying me and giving me my change. "No worries! I guess I have that face." I replied. I look like my mom, Senator Katherine
Beckett. Molly probably knows her as Detective Beckett. I got my latte and continued to walk the streets of my neighborhood.
It was 12:30 PM here and it was a weekday. I hope I didn't attract any attention in the library. Were there truancy cops still? My dad would tell me stories about them and how
we would get busted all the time. I laughed and sat at the table my dad sat at in my timeline. I picked up a Russian literature book and made myself comfortable. Just like my
mother, I'm fluent in Russian and French. I added Spanish and Mandarin to my repertoire because it was fun. It also helps that I have an IQ of 172. As I drank my latte and read
the book I didn't expect to be interrupted but I was and not just by anyone. But by my older sister, Alexis. I could tell it was her immediately. The odds of bumping
into someone you know in New York City are 12.7%, since NYC (in my timeline) has 26,402 people per square mile. I smiled. "I am sorry to bother you but I kinda have an
unrealistic attachment to the table and was wondering if I could sit here and study?" Alexis asked. I laughed and invited her to sit.
"Of course. Go ahead." I replied. She gratefully smiled and sat down beginning to pull her books out, she was studying for her finals. Wow, to see my sister in her college years
was insane. Dad wasn't lying when he said she studied a lot. I asked her for a piece of scratch paper and a pencil. I wrote a small message in Russian left it aside and returned
her pencil. "Thank you," I whisper. We remained at the table for over an hour. Getting to sit here with her was a gift so I reveled in it. It was hard to believe that I only knew her
as an adult, a wife, a mother.
Her phone began to buzz and she pulled out her iPhone 6. IPHONE 6. That was a piece of history for me. It was in a museum! I wanted to gasp and even pull out my iPhone
XXVII but refrained from doing so. It seemed to be an urgent message, she began to pack up her things in a hurry. She waved goodbye and left. I saw her scurry away and
realized she had left a calculator and a pair of headphones on the seat next to her. I placed my Russian note in the book with my initials and current year and my year and put it
back. I grabbed her things and ran after her. Knowing Alexis she would definitely need these two items. I saw
a label with her name on the calculator and laughed. I ran out of the library and walked in the direction of the loft again. If it was an urgent
message, it was most likely from Dad, and she needed to go home. I couldn't see her red hair anywhere which meant she got a cab. I got one too which felt really cool to do
because I rarely got to do that in my timeline. I stepped out for the cab at the same time as an older woman with Alexis red hair. It was Grandma Martha. Luckily, I was able to
enjoy some years with her before she passed away. She also seemed to be in a hurry and dropped her wallet. I laughed and ran after the wallet and her. Man can the Castle
women move fast! I ran into the lobby and the doorman stopped me, "My friend, Alexis, and her Grandma Martha Rodgers, left their things behind earlier. I'm just trying to
return them. Especially this wallet." I flashed him my charming smile and he granted me entry.
I clicked on the elevator button and knew I had to wait for a bit. The elevator finally arrived in the lobby and I stepped in pressing the lofts button. The doors were about to close
until a hand stopped them. Not just any hand, the hand belonged to my father. My breath caught in my throat and I swore I could hear my heart beating when my mother
walked in behind him. "Sorry!" He said. I smiled and shook my head, "No worries," I whispered. I could feel their stares on me as the only lit button was to our floor. "Are you
alright?" My dad asked, "You look a little pale?" He continued. The elevators stopped on the floor. Mom stepped out while my dad was still holding the elevator doors open,
awaiting my answer, "Yeah, I just," I began and moved toward the exit, I held out our family's items to give to Dad while Mom's hazel eyes met my identical ones and
everything went black.