Chapter I

A hiss escaped from between my clenched teeth while my legs gave up. The world span around me as I tried to register what

was going on. Everything was a blur, I could no longer tell what was around me though I was still on familiar ground. My

consciousness started to slip away as I felt my body weight fall upon what I could think was a chair I managed to clench too.

Upon regaining my senses, I looked across the lab floor to find papers, test tubes, and pens scattered across the white tiles. I

gazed upon my hard work in a mess as if a storm came in here just to cause all this ruckus. Just to realize that that storm was

nonother than me.

Ah right...

I was working on the time machine...

The flood of memories washed over me like a waterfall,

The memories of him

Why…?

even though he promised me...

promised that our paths will always be intertwined…

While still clutching the wrench in my hand, probably from the shock, I slowly pulled my body weight up after shaking off

the memories I tried hard to bury. bending down to the ground, collecting all the things that had fallen, and returning them to

their original places. I took one last glance as I sighed and left the scene.

After ruffling my black hair and stretching my arms above my head, I gazed at the accomplishment I had made

The time machine

I walked towards it studying all the wires and circuits from the bottom up.

I was proud

Is this what euphoria feels like..?

I gently traced its frame afraid that the smallest hints of roughness could send years of work crumbling to the ground.

I backed away smiling like a little kid upon the thought of what my blister-filled hands had created. I walked towards a small

room in the lab looking for a certain brown bag and a change of clothes and most important a white letter.

My cat must’ve heard my footsteps as he approached me, I lifted him placing his face next to mine with his pair of blue eyes

staring right at my own greens. I kissed his nose and snuggled him before placing him on the ground after remembering the

reason I came into the room in the first place.

I found the said bag and I grabbed it and quickly changed my clothes and ran out of the room not forgetting the letter. I slid

the bag strap over my shoulder looking as it landed on my right hip. I slowly went to the watch on the time machine and

changed the year to 2035.

A soft familiar lullaby danced around the machine as it worked its magic, or if I could call it that. After what felt like hours

the door slowly opened in a dramatic sort of manner making me chuckle nervously as I got in. It wasn't big nor was it small

either, it was the perfect size for me, I slowly closed the door not after waving at my cat.

The countdown started, the voice being the AI in my lab, Clara. She then asked if I was ready to launch and reminded me

that the doors currently couldn’t be open, and the year couldn’t be changed.

But I froze upon hearing the year…

No no no no no.. this cant be I’m sure of it.. I was sure I set it to 2035! Why does she say 2023?! This isn’t good! Not at all

good.

“Clara! Stop the launching process!” I said banging on the solid doors that I build myself that soon became my prison.
“I am unable to do that Ms. Xylia, the launching is already in process.”

I fell to the ground, and once again my legs gave up on me. I massaged my head for a second trying to think of a way out of

this, all the sounds that the machine made hard to think. Then it hit me, the emergency exit!

I stood banging on the door trying my best to open it but the machine already started slowly lifting off the ground indicating

that I was about to get teleported. I slid down again, my fists on the door, hitting it softly as tears swelled up in my eyes

letting out a heavy sigh.

I let out a sob as I hugged my knees to my chest and lay on my side.

“all my hard work… all the time I spend on this stupid machine… and I couldn’t even see him… I’m so sorry Alastair.. I

have let you down once a-again…”

As my vision slowly started to fade, I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath

“Please do forgive me, brother…”

I let out a groan as I sat up, holding my head as I felt light-headed.

“…Where am I…?”

“Ah… the time machine”

I looked around for my bag, and once I found it, I looked around in a hurry for the white letter, I let out a relieved sigh at the

sight of it resting safely in my bag. I zoned out for a bit trying to piece everything together.
I made a time machine to see my brother who had passed away because I wanted to save him from the incident the killed

him in the first place…

But I was careless, or my hand had slipped and I set it to the wrong year…

My stupid AI didn’t stop the process so I can change the year even though I did sort of give it a command...

Now I’m in a year where I know absolutely no one and God knows how this will work…

I jumped slightly upon hearing the said AI sound

“Teleporting process complete, welcome to 2023 Ms Xylia”

“You stupid AI… DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLED YOU CAUSED ME? NOW I DON’T KNOW WHE-“

I was cut off by the door opening and the AI pushing me out I let out a yelp as I landed on the grass.

I was about to curse off the AI but once I turned back the machine I made was no longer there.

Wait… grass...?

I sat up as I touched it, it felt… soft

“All the grass is gone back in my year… we don’t even get food from plants anymore. Atleast I could brag that I saw natural

grass to the others.”

As I was busy admiring the grass, I couldn’t help but feel as if someone was staring at me, I slowly looked back only to

flinch once I see someone pointing a knife at me.

What a warm welcome huh,

“Who are you? And what was the metal giant thing you got out of?”

I was about to answer but the person interpreted me with a loud gasp

“Are you an alien?!”

Before I get to answer she interpreted me once again.

“No.. that can’t be you look like a human being”

She cut me off as she leaned extremely close to me, as if she’s examining me.

“speak of personal space…” I muttered

I leaned back a bit as she got the hint and muttered a sorry, lowering the knife a bit as I cleared my throat.

I slowly stood up and felt my legs almost give up if it wasn’t for the girls fast reflex’s, she threw the knife and caught me just

before I hit the ground.

“oh-! L-lets get you back to my house... I can see if you have any wounds its not the far from here”

I heard her say, I couldn’t speak up, so I just nodded my head, she guided my arm to her shoulder as she wrapped hers
around my waist, not before picking up my bag.

I leaned on her as we slowly walked back to her house.

I’m not really sure if she even had a house, the place looked empty, but that thought stayed for a second before a cottage

appeared in my point of view.

It wasn’t that big but it sure did look pretty, with the trees around it and flowers and animals it looked magical.

I stared in awe as I heard her chuckle.

“That’s my house right there, I live alone”

I nodded to her words trying my best to keep up with her conversations.

Its like she didn’t try to murder me seconds ago, I couldn’t help but shiver at the thought

Yeah, I definitely don’t want to die as soon as I arrive that wouldn’t be cool at all

“We’re here!”

Her words snapped me out of my train of thoughts as I looked up ahead at the door, it has a brown ‘welcome’ sign on it,

there were leaves all around it, it looked majestic.

house gets broken down.

We entered through the front door, I was busy admiring the interior the I didn’t notice we were already in the living room, it

was all too different.

The mysterious girl (that I still didn’t get the name of) , helped me sit on the sofa, and gave me a look of sympathy, it sort of

made me annoyed, but at least she was nice?

“You can rest here for now, I’m going to go get some painkillers and water okay?”

“Wait-! What’s your name? I’m Xylia”

She smiled softly and said before she proceeded in her own way.

“You can call me Amidala, pleased to meet you Xylia”

I watched her frame as she disappeared within the house, I leaned back on the sofa letting out a content sigh as I closed my

eyes.

This all was a lot to take in.

“I really am in the past huh…?”

“What did you say?”

I jumped upon hearing Amidala’s voice, I looked behind me at her smiling at me, I quickly shook my head and returned the

smile and muttered a soft ‘nothing’.

“Here take those painkillers and drink the water with it, it should ease up the paint a bit”

I gently took the said tablet and cup from her hands and placed the medicine in my mouth and drank the water.

My brows furrowed, as my nose scrunched up, the water tasted weird…

Is it because I haven’t drank in a while? Or did she put something in the water?

It couldn’t be… She seems way too nice to do that, right?

I shook my head and said “It tastes just like water”

I heard her chuckle which made me confused, I mean it’s water isn’t it?

“What? Did I say something funny?” I asked the girl who was busy trying to calm down

She wiped a tear away and let out a sigh while shaking her head.

“Nope! There’s nothing wrong” she replied while smiling.

I squinted my eyes at her, in slight suspicion but let the topic drop, but her sudden question made me tense up.

“I was meant to ask, what was that you came out of?”

“huh-?”

“You know!! The big giant metal thing, it had a lot of colour’s and it was twinkling! Like uh stars!!” She was moving her

hands all around, as a way to explain whatever she was trying to explain.

Then it clicked, she was talking about the time machine, MY time machine.

Would she even believe me if I told her? I mean who would trust the words of a stranger they just met, let alone one who is

from the future? Definitely not me.

I took a deep breath and looked back at her with full seriousness in my eyes, which I can guess took her off guard.

“I’m from the future, from year 2050 to be exact, and that ‘metal thing’ is my time machine”

After a long time of silence and then a snort broke it followed by loud laughter, as the girl fell off her sofa from laughing.
“HAHAHA YOU?? FUTURE? THAT’S THE FUNNIEST THING I’VE HEARD ALL DAY”

“OI STOP LAUGHING I’M TELLING THE TRUTH”

After a lot of bickering, she finally calmed down her laughter, as she let out a sigh once again and sat back up.

“I haven’t laughed like that in a very long time”

“What do you mean?” after realizing what I just asked I was quick to move my hand in a hurry while saying.

“Ah-! That was so rude of me! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want-!!”

“It’s fine! Don’t worry about it!”

She looked forward, staring at picture frame on the coffee table in front of us.

“…I’ve had a younger sister before, me and her were so close, we would do everything together, my mother noticed that she

has been getting weaker and weaker…”

She took a deep breathe as she rubbed her eyes, I realized she was on the verge of tears, I rubbed her back in a way of

comfort, as she looked at me with soft eyes.

“Turns out she was diagnosed with cancer…”