Sam awoke with a start as her mom shouted at her from her bedroom door. “Wake up sweetheart. The taxi will be here in half an hour, you don''t want to be late!”


    She blinked and looked incredulously at her mom. The clock on her bedside cabinet read 4:30AM.


    Had it all been a dream? A nightmare? Oh god she hoped so. But it had felt so real, so horrific! She rubbed her eyes with her hands and saw as she pulled them away the bracelet that had fused to her left wrist.... “Oh no.”


    Sam instinctively reached out for her mobile phone and to her surprise found it right where it would normally be, next to her clock attached to a charger. She unplugged it and checked the date and just stared at it.


    The date stated it was the first day of term. But how was that even possible? She checked the time, it read 4:37 AM. She remembered rushing through the shower to get ready to leave, but...she looked around her room, everything was where it was meant to be.


    Had been..she shook her head. What was it that Sherlock Holmes always said? “Eliminate all other factors and the one which remains must be the truth."


    This had already happened. well not this, but this time. she remembered the hospital, Caero showing her the BBC footage of Valencia. she shook her head. A million people dead! But no, That was weeks away.


    She scrambled for her phone''s news app and scrolled through it and sighed with incalculable relief, nothing. Valencia still stood. There had been no burning inferno in a hospital in some unnamed land. She sobbed with relief, they were all still alive! She sniffed and noted the time, 4:50AM.


    Oh god the taxi would be here in ten minutes. She glanced at the bathroom and shrugged. No time for that this go round. She grabbed a can of instant shower and a rich floral aroma filled the air. She quickly donned a fresh set of underwear and black jeans.


    The black t-shirt felt tight on her shoulders as she noted her “new normal physique” had stayed with her in this new “old” timeline. Had she traveled back in time or switched to another alternate universe? She shook her head, no time! She grabbed her jacket and phone, the rest could stay. She never used them last time anyhow, they would just be unwanted baggage.


    Sam entered the kitchen and had a sudden sense of deja vu. Her mum looked up from her stool next to the breakfast bar as she drank her morning coffee and grinned.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    “Made it then! I wasn''t sure for a while. No time for breakfast though. Here I poured some juice for you and there''s a couple of those cardboard bars you love so much.” Sam''s head felt woozy and she slumped down on one of the stools opposite her mom. “Yeah thanks mum.”


    Sam hoped that she became accustomed to the dual timeline thing pronto. She looked at the granola bars and put them into her jacket pocket. There was no way she could face food right now, she could barely keep upright.


    Sam''s mum looked worriedly at her young daughter and her heart went out to her. Sam must be terrified. She leaned in for a hug as her daughter stood up unsteadily, readying herself to leave.


    “Good luck sweetheart I''m sure you''ll do great! Just try not to get into any fights OK? I know you''re not really a people person but you have a good heart and a sharp mind. Focus on that and I''m sure you''ll do well!”


    Then Sam heard the toot from the taxi and and was ushered out of the door by her mum before the cabby woke the rest of the street.


    Sam stood there in front of her house looking at the taxi cab. What the hell was she doing? Surely this way lead to madness, murder and mayhem! She took a step back, indecision written all over her face. The cabby looked at her and smiled.


    “You coming love? Long drive ahead, best we get going and miss the worst of the traffic.” Sam grimaced. What if she used her fore knowledge to fix what was going to happen? She could stop Mick Stevens from getting her riled up.


    Maybe even stop him from getting on the ship! She could fix it. She could fix it all! With teeth gritted and with a hard look of determination on her face she nodded to the cab driver. “Yeah sorry, big day ahead.”


    He nodded and grinned. “Don''t worry sweetheart, fake it till you make it and you''ll be fine!” She gave him a wry grin back as she got in the taxi.


    Sam closed her eyes as the cab driver drove off, hopefully if he thought she was asleep he would let her be. That was what happened the first time anyhow, she felt her left wrist. Would Caero remember what happened? “Well, only one way to find out.” She thought.


    “Caero? you there?”


    ….


    “This might feel strange I know I wasn''t meant to get the bracelet till tomorrow, but well, this isn''t my first time round.”


    MISS HOLDEN?


    “Yeah Caero it''s Miss Holden”


    YOU WERE THE CAUSE OF THE TEMPORAL DISRUPTION?


    “Erm...maybe? What exactly is a temporal disruption?”


    A TEMPORAL DISRUPTION MISS HOLDEN IS A WORMHOLE THAT ALLOWS FOR THE ABILITY TO TRAVEL EITHER FORWARD OR BACKWARDS IN TIME AND IT APPEARS ONE HAPPENED LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO. THE COUNCIL OF MAGI HAVE BEEN ALERTED TO THE ISSUE AND ARE DELVING INTO THE CAUSE AS WE SPEAK.


    “Oh shit the bed.”


    Sam scrambled for a way out of her situation, she had hoped to just slip in under the radar and fix everything that had gone wrong unnoticed. Fat chance of that now!


    “OK Caero, so it''s either face the music or do a runner!”


    I TAKE IT BY THAT STATEMENT THAT YOU WERE THE CAUSE OF THE DISRUPTION?