《An Aura in Time》 Part 1 "And while history may progress on, events are destined to repeat themselves by those who don''t learn from the past. One can''t expect a new result without changing their approach," said Professor Yates in his lesson. "I''d like to end today''s lecture on that note. So have a good day everyone." I looked up at the clock. 3:17 p.m. We still had three minutes until class ended, which I was excited as could be for. Professor Yates was pretty good at teaching history and I enjoyed it, but I was going to see Lucia after class. Her and I had met here at Trayley University in Lius, California in August at the beginning of the school year. And from there, well, we started dating after a few weeks. She was just about the most amazing person I''d ever met. I''d never seen someone with compassion like hers. The first time we met was - well actually that doesn''t matter right now. Now it was April, a nice Spring where it was moderately warm but the sun wasn''t bright enough to burn, where the breeze seemed to come at the perfect moments, and where I had someone I loved with me. Where we were happy together, and where we were going on a date that night. As I sat there daydreaming about all this, my friend and roommate Tyus, leaned over to me. "Will," he whispered, which caught me off guard. I realized that some people had left class by now, but I had been there thinking about Lucia. I turned to my right to Tyus. He looked eager to tell me something, like a kid about to reveal who their crush was. It was rare to see him that excited even if he was usually pretty passionate. "Look, to be honest I''ve been contemplating if I should even tell you this, but I felt like I should," he was still whispering as he said it, then got even more quiet. "We''ve been building a time machine, and we''re going to finish it today." "What?!" I asked a bit loudly, catching some people''s eyes for a second. The class had around 30 people at max, so it was a bit too loud for comfort. "We''re trying to keep it under wraps. We gotta stay quiet about it," he whispered. "Sorry," I replied, but what he had said made me more curious. "So, what exactly do you mean?" I asked softly. "Me and that physics group I joined have been working on it," he said with a proud smile. "I didn''t make the main design, but it can send a person''s memories three hours back to their past body. Or at least it will be able to, plausibly." "But how does it-" "This headset scans and saves the person''s memories, which are sent through a tube with quarks changing speeds, then the memories get to the past and go to the body they came from." he instantly said. "That''s the jist of it. But it''s potential is what got me jumping like that one guy at the diner." "Uh, yeah", I replied, still trying to comprehend this. Lucia, Tyus, and I were all freshmen (first-years) in college, and yet Tyus had been helping people work on this? He was great at his major, condensed matter and materials physics, but it still seemed insane if people were actually making this. Was he serious, and if he was would it work? "Anyway, we''re finishing it this evening in room 17. Darius, the head of the project, really wants to keep it secret though. The government doesn''t know either." Tyus seemed to understand my surprise and awkwardness, so he said, "Yeah, sorry to lay that all on you, but I wanted my best friend to know. Maybe I wanted to brag too if I''m being honest. But just please don''t tell anyone, will you?" "I won''t." Tyus was smart, but then sometimes he''d do things like telling me a classified secret in public. "But good luck on the...project," I replied awkwardly. "Thank you," Tyus said as he started getting up to leave, sounding relieved. It was 3:20 p.m. on the clock at that point. "Oh yeah, you and Lucia are going to, uh what it''s called? George''s Steakhouse, right?" "Denzel''s Steakhouse," I corrected him with a chuckle as we walked out of the classroom and into the second floor hallway, getting my mind off of the time machine. "But Lucia seems happy about it." "She always is with you," Tyus responded. For some reason his saying that surprised me a bit, but I gave an awkward smile at him and said, "Thanks." "Yeah, and I mean it," Tyus said nicely. Him, Lucia, and I had made vows to always be there for each other if we needed to. In that moment I got the same feeling as I did when we made them. "Anyway, I''m heading to the cafeteria with some people from the team. You going to the courtyard? "Yep, me and Lucia are meeting up for a bit there." "See ya then, enjoy that and the date," said Tyus as he waved goodbye. I waved too, and started walking down the flight of stairs. When I got to the bottom, I started speed walking, then dashing to the front door out of joy! My right leg nicked part of the door and got a scratch, but I was okay with that. Outside, the courtyard was a large rectangular one, with a large rectangular pond encompassing the middle of it. I was facing one of the shorter sides of the pond, when I saw Lucia walking toward it, our usual meetup spot. "Hi!" I exclaimed. She saw me and then we started running toward each other. We hugged and twirled around. "How was history, Will?" she asked cheerfully after that. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "Pretty good," I said, getting reminded of the time machine. I didn''t need to focus on that though, I thought to myself. "How was English?" I asked Lucia. "Great! We''re writing essays about why our majors are important and-" she said. "Oh, is your leg okay? You should probably put a bandage on it." She saw my cut. "Oh yeah, it''s fine," I replied. "It looks a bit big," Lucia said with concern. "You don''t have to act like you''ll tough through an infection." She reached into the little bag she was carrying. "I have a bandage if you want. You don''t have to use one though, I just want you to be well," she told me, her tone still nice and genuine. "I guess I could use it," I said. She handed the bandage to me. "Thanks." Lucia was always thinking about others, that''s why I loved her. "Happy to help," she said. "The steakhouse reservation is for 6:15, right?" "Yeah, would 5:45 be a good time to meet here first?" "Sure, sorry that I have to leave in a bit though. The group planned to work on our medical project for a couple hours, so we''ll be done working by then." "It''s good," I told her. Lucia had told me about that at lunch anyway. Her major was medical science, and I could tell how much she wanted to become a doctor. That project was part of the path to it. My major was chemistry, so we didn''t have major lectures together, but that didn''t stop us from hanging out A LOT. Then suddenly I noticed a cat running frantically, with a woman trying to get it. "Effa!" she called. "It''s okay, I''m still here for you!" Then the cat ran closer to the pond near where we were, not realizing it in time to stop, and fell in the water. Instantly, as if by instinct, Lucia ran into the pond, a few feet (about 1 meter) deep in water. The cat was frantically trying to paw and swim, and started staring at her while doing that. Lucia strode through the pond quickly, determination and a bit of fear across her face. She got to the scared cat, and picked it up, which made it more calm. She placed it on the ground above the water, about 20 feet (6 meters) from me at that point. I was practically in shock, just standing still there. I was surprised at her and the cat. It happened so fast and I was processing it. Everyone in the court yard was looking at her. Then I felt a bit guilty. If she could help, then why couldn''t I? So I ran over, and reached my arm out to her. "Thanks," Lucia said with a struggle as she grabbed my arm. I pulled her up as she climbed back onto the ground and tried to catch her breath. The cat was sitting there, shaking to dry off, but seeming a bit more relaxed. The woman dashed over to the cat. "Oh, Effa!" she exclaimed with joy and relief, picking Effa up and hugging her. "Oh, I''m so glad you''re safe." Effa''s owner gave a warm smile at Lucia. "Thank you, truly. What''s your name?" "Lucia," she said, still soaked in water and a bit out of breath, but she looked happy. "I''ll remember that name," the woman replied. "I''m Mary." I was still awkwardly standing there, but I started clapping for Lucia. Then Mary started to, then someone else in the courtyard did, and then everyone in the courtyard was giving a round of applause to Lucia. She looked a bit embarrassed about it, and looked at me blushing, but I thought she deserved the praise. "I''ll find a way to repay you Lucia," said Mary. "Oh no, you don''t have to-" "I want to, you deserve it," Mary responded. "Until we meet again, Lucia. You have my gratitude, and Effa''s too." Mary walked away, and most of the people watching went back to what they were doing. "So 5:45?" Lucia asked me casually as if nothing unusual had just happened. "Um, are you still in the mood for it?" I asked, surprised. "Of course. I mean I have to dry off and work on that project, but I''m still looking forward to that. You good with still going there?" "Uh, yeah," I said more happily. This incident didn''t stop Lucia from what she wanted to do. "Then it''s a plan. I''m gonna go change and meet up for the project. See you later." Lucia waved. "Goodbye," I said as she started to walk away. She made a thin path of water dripping from her. "And Lucia," I said, "You''re a hero, I hope you know that." She didn''t say anything to that, but gave a humble smile. As she left, I reflected on her saving Effa. I was baffled at first, but it wasn''t unlike Lucia to want to help someone. I had a couple hours to kill though, and I had to pick up a suit for Denzel''s. It wasn''t a very expensive one, but I wanted to look nice so I got fitted for one. The shop for it was on Mard Avenue, and I decided to walk there with it only being a block away from the campus. The street was wide but not very busy, with some shops along the sides of it. As I got there, I saw a woman outside an old-looking one. "Come one, come all to the Winning Wonder Fortune Telling!" she exclaimed with her arms out, but it seemed to make more people look away from the store. She seemed confident but a little desperate. I had never believed in that stuff though, so I continued to the clothing store, which was a few shops closer than the fortune-telling one. I picked up my suit there, holding it in a bag. On the way out I looked over at Winning Wonder Fortune Telling, the woman no longer in front of it, and I realized that she probably needed more business. I had time to kill too, so I decided: Why not? It might be fun to go there even if I didn''t think it was legit. I walked in, and the woman looked so happy to have a customer. She walked over to me, saying, "HELLO, welcome to Winning Wonder Fortune Telling! Would you like a palm reading, crystal ball reading, or some other magical method? We have all sorts of clairvoyance here!" I was caught off guard a bit by her mannerisms, but I was glad that she was enthusiastic about it. "Um, I guess I''ll have a-" I started to say, but her eyes turned into a straight stare, and she stepped closer to me. Her tone much deeper and almost aggressive sounding she said: Will Korda, yourlover isdestined to meet her end 6 hours past the turn of this afternoon. Our fate has that fact so. For as long as this prophecy comes alive, she will die. I stumbled back in shock, falling onto the ground and dropping my bag. I was looking directly up at the clock, which was at 4:15. There was this weird aura coming from her when she said it. But the fortune teller''s eyes had turned back to normal as soon as she stopped talking. "Oh, are you okay?" she asked, her voice back to normal too. "Did I black out? What happened?" I jumped back onto my feet. "NO, and how do you know my name!? What was that death threat about!?" My voice was cracking as if the wind had nearly been knocked out of me. But Lucia couldn''t die that day, she just couldn''t. "What do you mean?" There was concern in her voice. "Did I say something? I can''t recall what just happened." "You said that...you said that-," I couldn''t bring myself to say it. Was she an innocent woman who just unknowingly made a prophecy? Maybe she was dangerous though. "UH, never mind, bye," I said, picking up my bag and running out of the store. "Wait, did I say something bad?" she yelled as I ran away, but I didn''t stop. As I ran I thought about it. First Tyus said he was working on a time machine to complete tonight, which I had nearly forgotten about, then Lucia saves a cat from drowning, and then that, all in an hour. But nothing like that had happened before. That prophecy wouldn''t come true, right? Right? Part 2 I got back to my dorm room, still shaken from the prophecy. Tyus wasn''t there and I considered calling the cops about it, but was the woman really guilty? Even if she wasn''t she would probably get arrested for a death threat. But then how did she know my name? Was it some twisted prank, or was it something else? I decided to just keep it to myself, since I thought I would only scare people with it. Though I did analyze what she said. It said that Lucia was "destined to meet her end 6 hours past the turn of this afternoon." That would mean 6:00 p.m. Why were prophecies always worded so pretentiously? But the woman seemed so confident about what she said. Still, I wouldn''t let Lucia die that young, not someone that loving. Plus Tyus and his group were supposedly going to finish the time machine that night, he might have been hanging out with them at that time. It could help, if it actually worked. There was still a little while until Lucia and I were going to meet though, so in the meantime I worked on some homework, trying to look forward to the date. I put some ointment and a new bandage on my leg''s cut too. It didn''t hurt as much. Then at about 5:30 I put my suit on, looking in the wall mirror. I had trouble tying the tie, but got it together. I usually didn''t care that much about my fashion, but I liked the suit. It was a black one with a white collared shirt and a black tie. In a good mood, I grabbed my car keys and walked down to the court yard where Lucia and I were supposed to meet. At 5:45 she arrived, wearing an aqua dress. "Hi Will!" she said. "Hi," I said back. "I see you dried off," I tried to joke, still thinking a bit about the "prophecy." "Yeah, I did and I text that I would have to show up late for the project. But I guess the group found out what happened because they started swarming me when I walked in, it nearly gave me a heart attack!" She laughed a bit. "But they were friendly about it too." "That''s good to hear," I said. "You look nice, too." "Thanks, same to you." We walked to my car in the school parking lot, and started driving to Denzel''s. The drive was about 10 minutes, but I kept looking at the dashboard''s clock on the way there. "You okay?" Lucia asked. "Yeah, I just... like to know that we''re making good time, I guess." We pulled up across the street from Denzel''s Steakhouse, with it''s big clock on the side of the top of the building. "This is it, I''ve been looking forward to this for a while," I said. "Me too, Will," Lucia replied. We walked across the street and Lucia started skipping, a bit ahead of me as the clock bell rang loudly marking the 6 o''clock hour. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That was when the truck hit her. It came out of nowhere, a white and blue mass driving super fast and barely missing me. Then the driver stopped the semi-truck. I just stood there in shock in that moment. The prediction had come true. Lucia had been killed and I was looking at her body on the street. Then the driver stepped out. "I''m...so sorry," he said to me with a look of guilt and fear. "I was reckless." "You, you killed her," I said, my voice cracking with every word. "You killed Lucia! Did you and that fortune teller plan this?!" I stomped up to him. "No, I was just speeding." He seemed honest about that. I stepped back, but I still wouldn''t forgive him that easily.. Did the fortune teller really predict the future? Either way Lucia just died and I had been told that she would, that sunk in. I should''ve made way more of an effort to save her. Then I remembered the time machine. Tyus said they were finishing it that evening. I might''ve had a chance to undo this and save Lucia. I could get another chance, she could get another chance. So I ran to my car as fast as I could. "Wait, look, I''m truly sorry. I''ll turn myself in for this," said the truck driver, but I didn''t respond. I was dead set on going back in time. I drove back to Trayley and ran to room 17 on the second floor. The door was locked but I banged my fist on it. "Tyus, it''s me!" I yelled. "I need help!" He opened it. "Will, what happened?" he asked. "Something bad, really bad." I walked into the room, the other members of the group were staring. In the middle of them was the time machine on a big table. "Did you guys finish this yet, I really need to go back in time," I told them desperately. "Wait, you told him about this!?" someone asked angrily to Tyus. "Well yeah, Darius, but he''s my best friend and he promised to keep it a secret," said Tyus. Then he turned to me. "But yes, Will, we just made the finishing touches on this." "Great, let me use it!" I walked over to the table, picking up the headset for it. "Woah, slow down," said Darius. He was a strong-looking man who could intimidate if he wanted to. "You can''t just barge in here and use our classified project. No one''s even tested it yet." "Well then I can be the first one," I said. "Wait, why do you even want to go back in time Will?" Tyus said as he walked up to my side. "You seem devastated about something." "It''s because-" I didn''t want to have to tell them out loud. I nearly started crying. "It''s because Lucia just died! She got hit by a truck." The room went silent. "Oh, I am so sorry Will." said Tyus, his voice cracking from it like mine did. "We can fix this though! This''ll send you 3 hours into the past and hopefully you can-" "We can''t just use it right now," Darius interjected. "I''m sorry, guys, but we still don''t know if this will even work. This is messing with time, and it could be catastrophic to everyone if it fails in the wrong way! We need to do days of constructed testing and analyzation to be safe." "We don''t have days to do that!" Tyus yelled. "We all know that this can only go back 3 hours! And we theorized that once it''s been used, it can''t be used again before that point in time. We couldn''t stack those hours to go back days. It has to be now!" "It''s for Lucia, Darius," I pleaded. "She was kind, she was caring, she was the love of my life." He considered that for a second. "Well, don''t put her on a pedestal," he said. Then one of the members spoke up. "I''m on their side. We have to give him a chance." Darius sighed. "Fine," he said. "I''ll start up the time machine." He walked over to the side of the table and pressed some buttons on the side of the wide machine. Tyus helped me put on the headset the right way. "Thank you, everyone," I said. "Yeah, just hope this works," Darius replied. "I think it will," Tyus said. "Alright, it''s ready," Darius told us. "So are the last 3 hours going to get overwritten?" I asked. "Yeah, pretty much," Tyus told me. That meant this conversation was going to get erased, like it never happened. "But good luck, Will. Are you ready?" "Yes." "Then for Lucia," Tyus said. "For Lucia." As I looked up at the clock displaying the time 6:17, Tyus pressed a button. The machine shook, I felt weird and then, it happened. Part 3 "And while history may progress on, events are destined to repeat themselves by those who don''t learn from the past. One can''t expect a new result without changing their approach," said Professor Yates in his lesson. "I''d like to end today''s lecture on that note. So have a good day everyone." Suddenly I was back in class just as the lecture was ending. My jaw dropped. The clock said 3:17 too. I looked down at my leg, and the cut and bandage were nowhere to be seen. I was really back in the past, exactly where I was at this time. I was hopeful that it would work, but I was still amazed at actually experiencing it. Then Tyus leaned over. "Will," he whispered. He caught me off guard from my admiration like the first time. But he continued, "Look, to be honest I''ve been contemplating if I should even tell you this, but I felt like I should." "You''re building a time machine," I said. "What? Wait, do you actually know or was that just a lucky guess?" Tyus was stunned, but still trying to whisper. "I know, because it worked," I said. "I just used it to get back here." Tyus looked shocked, proud, and happy at the same time, with his eyes wide open. "You''re serious? Why did you use it?," he asked me. "I, well, I volunteered to be the first person to test it." I didn''t want to tell him what really happened, assuming it would only make him sadder. I wanted it to be like Lucia had never died, no one needed to know. I technically wasn''t lying to him either, and he listened to me. For a moment he just sat there in awe, much more confident than I was. "Thank you," he said. The bell rang and we started to leave class, but Tyus got enthusiastic. "You should come with, this is monumental! They''ll wanna hear everything about this!" "Uh, sorry, I''m going to see Lucia," I said. "Well, right, have fun then. We can meet about it tomorrow." Tyus was never pushy about asking me to do things, whether it was a small thing or a never-done-in-the-history-of-humanity thing. "But your act means a lot!" he finished. I said my goodbye and continued to the stairs, going to meet Lucia. But I was focused on saving her this time. I couldn''t let that truck get near her. I thought it might be safest to just not go to Denzel''s at all. But then someone else could hit by that truck. I couldn''t let them die for Lucia''s sake. I decided to still go on the date, but not let anyone cross the street at 6 p.m. I got to the door, speed walking instead of running, careful not to get a cut again. In the courtyard I saw Lucia. We met up and said similar things to before, but I didn''t want to mention her death. "Is something wrong, Will?" she asked. "No, I''m...great!" I exclaimed. Then I heard a woman chasing a cat. Mary and Effa. Effa was about to run straight into the pond. I ran over at full speed as she started her run. She sailed right toward me, not even noticing at first, and I picked her up. As some people stared, I walked over to Mary, petting Effa in my arms along the way, and handed the cat to her. "Oh, thank you!" Mary said. "You got Effa and you reacted so fast! It was like you''ve witnessed it before. I''m Mary, by the way, what''s your name?" "Will," I said it normally, but my mind was focused on how I had changed the event. Time travel could really save people! It almost felt like a superpower, though my knowing of what was going to happen made me feel distanced in a way. "Thank you Will, sorry for the trouble." "I didn''t mind." Mary left and Lucia came over. "That was a nice move, Will! Brave, too!" "Uh, thanks. Anyway, we can meet up here at 5:45 then." I was trying to be charismatic. "Yeah," Lucia replied. I left and walked down Mard Avenue to pick up my suit again. I noticed some passerby walking the same exact way as last time. It was surreal, living through the same point in time again, like a script being reread where I was the editor. I was there to change things, going to the suit shop at an earlier time than before, but more importantly I had to go back to Winning Wonder Fortune Telling. I had to find out the truth about that prophecy. I walked in there and she looked joyful to have a customer again. She walked over like before and gave me the same greeting. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "HELLO, welcome to Winning Wonder Fortune Telling! Would you like a palm reading, crystal ball reading, or some other-" "Can I ask you about how you predict things?" I interrupted. "Well, it depends on the method. Palms are about lines, crystal balls are about the auras and images they project-" "What about prophecies that,-that you just say?" I asked with concern, cutting her off again. "Well, I''m not experienced in that field," she said. "But has it ever felt like you just blacked out for a moment?" "No, I''m a psychic but I''ve always kept my consciousness in my career." 4:14 p.m. She seemed to be telling the truth, but I still couldn''t guarantee anything about her. And if I was to save Lucia, I knew that I couldn''t back down from this woman. "Well, have you ever thought that prophets, get possessed or go into their own trances somehow?" I asked. "I believe anything could be possible, even an event of that sort. Though I must admit I''ve never seen it myself," she replied calmly. But then her eyes suddenly turned into that straight stare. She walked toward me in the same way as before and had that deep and aggressive tone. Will Korda, your lover is destined to meet her end 6 hours past the turn of this afternoon. Our fate has that fact so. For as long as this prophecy comes alive, she will die. "NO!" I said in a desperate tone. I ran over and put my hands on her shoulders. She returned to her normal tone and was surprised. "Well, that was quick of you! Did I miss something?" She didn''t seem concerned about the fact that I was right up in her face, but she was confused nonetheless. "You need to remember, please," I said. I thought that if she knew what happened it would help. But then I realized, I already knew that that truck was what was going to kill Lucia. This prophecy was just a sign of that. That and the time machine were giving me all I needed. I just needed to do things differently this time. That made me a lot more motivated. "You know what, I was just pranking you!" I said to the fortune teller. "Forget what I said!" "Oh, well that''s the first time a customer has managed to surprise me like that!" "Yeah, have a good day!" I ran back to Trayley, but from happy energy this time. When I got to my dorm room I tried to think logically about what I could do. It would be safest for me and Lucia to just not go to Denzel''s at all. But then someone else might get hit by that truck. I couldn''t let someone else die for Lucia''s sake. They needed to live too. I decided to still go to Denzel''s with her, but warn her and others so that nobody was in the street at 6:00 p.m. Perhaps I would call the police ahead of time too. Lucia could be saved, everyone else would be safe, and we could still have a happy date if everything went according to plan. As I got dressed into my suit, I decided that it was worth calling the police. Maybe they could stop that driver from barreling through the street. He had seemed to be in his senses, but what he did could still be prevented. I picked up my phone (with a few text notifications that I ignored) and dialed 911. "Hi, look, there''s going to be a truck speeding by Denzel''s steakhouse tonight, it might be on the street now. I don''t know where but is there any way you could stop it?" I asked. "And how do you know that, sir?" the dispatcher said confusedly. Suddenly I realized how suspicious I must have sounded. I was so sure of what was going to happen but that dispatcher didn''t know that I had seen this unfold before. Maybe they thought it was a prank or even that I was in on it. They''d probably heard a lot of things, but never something from a time traveler. "Well, uh, I just heard a lot of people who saw it. Apparently it''s a blue semi-truck with a white trailer and it''s been driving in a pattern and is gonna be at Denzel''s around 6:00." I made some of that up on the spot but I thought it was believable. Maybe it was true for all I knew. "Could some of you please just scout out that area? I''m going there and I want everyone to be safe." "We haven''t heard anything of that sort today." The dispatcher said it seeming even more suspicious of me. "Are you sure this is true?" "YES, well, yeah, the people seemed serious about it." Even over the phone I could hear the dispatcher give a small sigh. "Alright, we do have some officers here with no calls. We could send a couple out to that area." Then a small pause was made before asking, "you''re not lying about this, right?" "Of course not! Thank you in advance though!" "It''s our duty." I hung up and set my phone down, hoping I wasn''t a police suspect now. But it was for Lucia, any caution I could take was worth it. That prophecy didn''t think I had time travel on my side, I thought to myself. I met up with Lucia in the courtyard and we had a similar discussion as the first time, but I was much more confident. She talked a bit about going to work on the medical project, but people didn''t bombard her with praise since I was the one who saved Effa. We were both excited for the date though. As we drove there, I looked at the clock a few times, and when we arrived it was 5:56. We each stepped out of the car and Lucia started for the street from the parking lot but I stopped her. "WAIT, I heard that there''s a speeding truck around here," I said suddenly, trying to keep my story consistent. "Sorry that I didn''t tell you sooner, it just didn''t cross my mind until now." I looked both ways across the street. Some other people were on either side and I wanted to warn them too. "There''s a speeding semi-truck around here! Don''t go in the street!" I yelled. Everyone looked at me and many seemed to panic. Lucia just stared at me but with faithful trust. "Really!?" one woman asked. Then a man replied, to her and to me. "Don''t worry, they stopped it. I saw the cops pulling over a semi driver on the way here." He said it calmly but loudly for all to hear. I was so relieved. Lucia looked like she was too. "Thanks, I really needed to hear that," I said to the man. "I''m glad it helped," he said. Lucia and I started for the street again, with her doing her same skip as before, but before she got to the street she tripped forward, face first. I ran but was too behind to catch her in time. As she hit the ground the clock chimed 6:00. "Lucia!" No response. I turned her over, and I couldn''t describe how I felt when I saw the glass shard in her neck. A small pile of it was under her. I don''t need to go into detail into how she looked, but I knew what it meant. Her wrist had no pulse. I started sobbing over her, not even noticing all the bystanders. They were the last thing that would be on my mind. What was on my mind as I sobbed was Lucia and that prophecy. Even when I did things differently it was still spot-on. But I could try again, and again, as much as it would take to prove it wrong. I ran back to my car, stumbling along the way, with it taking all the willpower in the world to try again instead of mourning. That''s a mentality I would have to keep. As I drove back to Trayley I realized that I would have to be more logical when saving Lucia, putting life over all else. The only emotion I wasn''t suppressing was my feelings for her. Part 4 I got back to Trayley, running to room 17 with rush but not worry. I was dead set on going back again and saving Lucia. When I got to the room, Tyus and the group cheered for me. I ignored the praise, it was nice, but it wasn''t what I was there for. I told them the real reason I was there. I was trying not to cry, that and Tyus'' empathy would just make things take longer. But I later realized how bad bottling up emotions is. They all looked shocked about Lucia''s death. But I didn''t tell them that it had happened before. I just went along with the story they knew from Tyus, that would make things quicker. Plus they would probably be more willing to let me use the time machine if they thought I had used it to help them the first time. After some discussing, they let me use it, with Darius seeming more lenient this time. They fired it up, and I traveled back. It was 3:17 p.m. I heard Professor Yates'' lecture. I told the same story as before to Tyus. I walked out to the courtyard, making sure to not cut my leg. These things felt like a routine at that point. I was being efficient. The third time''s the charm, after all. I met up with Lucia, putting on a smile for her. We talked about our classes like before, and then she got to the topic of the steakhouse. "Right, um, they canceled the reservation on me," I made up. Lucia''s life was on the line, I didn''t want us to go back to where she died twice, not at 6:00 p.m. anyway. "They gave me a refund, but apparently they didn''t have enough employees. Sorry." "That''s okay," she said. She looked a bit disappointed, but it wasn''t directed at me. Then in the corner of my eye I saw Effa the cat running, so I went to go pick her up. Another part of the routine. Mary thanked me. Lucia, Lucia praised me. I thanked her for that. Getting back to the topic of the date, I said, "Say, would you wanna meet up here around 5:40? Maybe we could order food, bring a blanket to sit on, hang out, talk about life." "I''d love to! Right after that medical project I''ll come here!" Lucia said cheerfully. I was glad she agreed. We''d be away from Denzel''s, and I could keep an eye on her. I could save her. After she left, I called Denzel''s to actually cancel the reservation and get a refund. I called in to cancel the suit too (only getting a partial refund for that). I decided to not go to Winning Wonder Fortune Telling or even to Mard Avenue at all. Maybe that fortune teller wouldn''t even make the prophecy if I wasn''t there, I thought to myself. I was planning ahead a lot with these things. I went back to my dorm room in the meantime, calling the cops to report the speeding truck again. Even if we wouldn''t be near it, I didn''t want it to hit someone else. That was the logically kind thing to do. On the call I tried to sound more ignorant about the truck so that I didn''t raise suspicion. I saw the texts on my phone after that, the first time I had looked at them that day. There were some spam ones but one was from Tyus, thanking me again After that was done with, I decided to look up some first aid if I needed to it on Lucia. CPR for cardiac arrest. The Heimlich Maneuver for choking-"putting a fist with a thumb below the person''s belly button, then having both hands push in and up" I kept reciting to myself, trying to perfect it. As I was reciting that, I felt a weird, familiar aura. Then I heard it somehow being brought to my mind, though I couldn''t hear it through my ears. It was that all-too familiar saying: Will Korda, your lover is destined to meet her end 6 hours past the turn of this afternoon. Our fate has that fact so. For as long as this prophecy comes alive, she will die. I fell on the floor. It was so clear in my mind, like telepathy. I hadn''t even been paying attention to the time before that, but sure enough, it was 4:15 when I looked at the clock. That stubborn prophecy always came to me. But I had to stay strong. Still think clearly. The fortune teller wouldn''t remember making the prophecy, even if I did ask her about it. I thought that it would be best to just stay in my dorm learning more ways to save someone and strategizing. That shop wouldn''t get my business. I did some more of that and after a while, I got a picnic blanket from my closet. I brought some wet towels too in case of cuts. Walking down to the courtyard with them, it was about 5:40 and I met up with Lucia. It came off as casual fun with my girlfriend, but in reality I was staying alert and ready for whatever might happen to her. Maybe I could find a loophole around that prophecy. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. We sat and talked in the middle of the courtyard, watching the sunset. She was happy and calm, I was pretending to be the same way, though I really was a bit around her. "You sure you okay, Will?" "Yeah! I''m just trying to be more cautious lately, I suppose." "Alright, but if you ever need to talk you know I''m there." That right there was the person I was fighting for. She would reach out without hesitating, but right now I was trying to return that favor. I didn''t want her to know that I had seen her life end before. It was getting close to 6:00 p.m. I was watching her like a hawk, though trying to look calm. "Lucia," I said a bit quietly. "Yeah?" "I, I''ve had fun today." I didn''t say what I was planning too, because I needed to stay confident that I could say it to her after 6:00. "I have too," she said. I had prepared for a lot of different types of deaths, but nothing could have prepared me for her body burning up in flames. Spontaneous combustion had happened. There was nothing I could do to stop it. It''s another event where I can''t bring myself to go into the visual detail, but it was bad. Other people in the courtyard saw it, nearly in shock. I had to step back but my hopes for that "attempt" were already burned. The bystanders were panicking and calling ambulances. One of them tripped while running, with a hard fall. But I didn''t care to help. I was going to undo the last 3 hours anyway. I was already on campus, so I walked to room 17. I remembered the rule that I couldn''t travel back to before 3:17 anyway. At the beginning of the walk, I felt devastated but I was used to that. This death had been different though. There was no way I could have physically prevented it. Nothing like this had happened before either. It was like the prophecy had manipulated Lucia''s body. It still got its way, even when I didn''t hear it. I thought about the wording of it though-"For as long as this prophecy comes alive, she will die." Did that mean that if I just stopped the fortune teller from saying it, then Lucia could live? But the fortune teller wasn''t even trying to say it. I thought that I might have to use some questionable methods, but it could work. As my mind was on that topic, Tyus came rushing toward me in the hall. "Will, I''m so, so sorry," he looked like he meant it. "I saw it from the window. We can talk about it, unless you need some alone time." I did want to talk about it, but in a different way. "I actually wanted to use the time machine to go back and save her." "I was thinking the same thing, but I don''t know how you could prevent this," Tyus said morbidly. "I have a plan, trust me." We walked to room 17, and after we tried to convince Darius to let us use the machine he asked, "Well what is your plan? I''m sorry about what happened, truly, but how are you going to stop spontaneous combustion?" This was breaking my stream of efficiency, but I realized what I would have to admit. Besides, my telling it would get reversed. "This is my third time living through the last 3 hours and there''s been a fortune teller saying that...that Lucia will die at 6:00 p.m. That''s come true in different ways each time, but I think that if I stop the prophecy from being made, it might stop Lucia''s death. I didn''t want to tell you guys before because I thought I could stop it without causing panic, but there it is." I was trying to be straightforward and formal about it, but I knew how weird it sounded. Darius was the first to speak after it. "I think the grief''s driving him insane." "Wait, I''m hearing him out," Tyus quickly replied. "I mean, he''s time traveled and his girlfriend...well you know what happened. I think anything could be possible now." "Yeah, but those both stem from science! Prophecies don''t!" Darius sounded mad at even the possibility of hearing me out, like I was insulting his life''s work. A spiral of rage came from him. "I don''t want to let him control time because of what could be a lie. And his mind''s been traumatized, whether it was one time or three times. I don''t want to know what he could do with this power if he''s not thinking straight!" "But Will''s a good guy. And he could be on to something," Tyus pleaded for me. "We already know that the time machine works since he knew about it. Do you really want to just let a person die when he could save her?" That last part stuck out to everyone in the room. More people seemed to be on the side of Tyus and me. Then we all looked at Darius, that stupid, stupid man, I thought. "No," he said. "You don''t realize how much power you''re giving to someone with such recent trauma." "Maybe you''re the one twisted by trauma, Darius," said Tyus. You saw Lucia burn too. "And after seeing it I know what that could do to someone who''s close to her," Darius responded, still holding his ground. "I''ve been through it before, I''ve stayed sane," I said. "Exactly," said Tyus. "No," Darius still said. More tension was growing among everyone in the room, but it was still opposing Darius. "Carla," Tyus said, still looking at Darius, "You know how to operate the time machine, right?" "Yeah," said a team member, who must''ve been Carla. When I came to think of it, she was the one who helped convince Darius to let me time travel the first time. "Could you help someone use it right now?" Tyus asked Carla, but still focusing on Darius, like they were having a staring contest. "I would," Carla replied, calm but prepared. "Now, wait up!" yelled Darius, walking over. What happened next felt like a blur. Tyus tackled him, taking all his effort to restrain him. Another scientist from the team jumped on Darius too. Carla and I ran over to the time machine. A couple of people who must have been on Darius''s side tried grabbing us back with all the force in the world, but then others pushed them. We were in the middle of a mutiny, but it was about to have not happened. I put on the headset to time travel, but then Tyus called out in the midst of him stopping Darius. "Will!" Tyus yelled. I looked over at him. "Promise that you''ll tell past-me the truth after you jump back, okay?" "Of course," I said with a small smile, but my eyes were flat. "Here it goes," said Carla. Stop the prophecy from being said, that''s my goal, I told myself. Then the usual-for-me but unusual-for-anyone-else thing happened. Part 5 It was 3:17 and I heard the end of the lecture again, really taking it in this time. "One can''t expect a new result without changing their approach." I was changing my approach now, and I was hoping to get a new result. After I told Tyus my same lie as before, I thought of how I could physically stop the fortune teller from saying her death sentence. I supposed I could just cover up her mouth, and I could try again anyway. After that I did my usual routine of visiting Lucia (this time making plans to meet up in the cafeteria for dinner), saving Effa, and calling in to cancel Denzel''s and the suit. At the time I wasn''t thinking about how much of a disconnect I felt. I walked down to Winning Wonder Fortune Telling on Mard Avenue. The fortune teller gave her usual greeting, and I talked to her about her work, along with other things, pretending to be interested. "Are you okay with these wood chairs? They may feel a bit wacky," she said. "Yeah, I love them," I said. I hated them. "That''s nice. Oh yes, would you like a banana?" She grabbed a bowl of them. "No, I hate them." I loved them. After some more of that, at 4:13 I stood up, wanting to be prepared. The clock up on her wall was precise down to the second. "What''s the matter?" she asked. Then I realized that if I tried stopping her before she went into her trance, she would realize it and possibly report me. So I made up a lie. "I think there might, just might, be some bad spirits coming. I have a bad feeling about it." "Why, do you think they''re close? 4:14 "Maybe, but I just think we should stay quiet," I said. "So don''t talk, don''t even think about it." I put my hands over her mouth, trying to be firm (but not too much). I just stood there in guilt, feeling like this was wrong, but it was for a much greater good. She stayed quiet though, seeming to believe me. 4:15 The prophecy still came loud and clear from her, though her mouth wasn''t even moving. I tried stopping it but it was no use. That aura came too. After she got out of her trance I backed up from her. I yelled, just a wordless shout of rage. To me this already marked the end of this "attempt." "Have the spirits gotten into you? I''m no expert in the field of exorcising but I can try," the woman said, like she was ready to really do it. "No, I''m just mad about...something else." I walked out, not bothering to apologize. At 5:35 Lucia and I got dinner in Trayley''s cafeteria. The food was good, but I couldn''t enjoy it when I knew what was going to happen. 5:46 "Will," Lucia said. I looked over. "What''s the matter?" she asked. "You don''t have to pretend that you''re okay if you''re really not. I''m here for you." I sighed. I knew that this Lucia would probably be gone anyway, but she might feel better if I told her the truth, even with what it meant. "You''re going to die at 6," I said, not looking her in the eye. "What!?" There weren''t many people in the cafeteria, but they looked over at us. "Wh-what do you mean, Will?" "Exactly what I said, I''m sorry. A prophecy said so. I''ve kept time traveling back to try to prove it wrong, but it keeps coming true. No matter the place or the method, you keep dying." I looked at her, I had a small frown, her eyes were staring into my soul, with the rest of her face showing fear but some faith in me. "I''m sorry to lay this all on you, but it''s the truth. I tried to stop the prophecy from being made this time, I thought that that might work, but it still got said. I''ll put more effort into that next time. I guess you won''t even remember me saying this though." "You seem pretty confident that I''ll die." "It''s hard for me not to be at this point. Maybe I''m jinxing this area though. We can go somewhere else. It''s worth a shot." Lucia reluctantly followed me. We walked through the downstairs hallway, not exactly keen on going to a particular place. It was getting close to 6:00 p.m. "Will," Lucia asked, breaking our silence, "Do you know who the fortune teller was, her name or anything?" This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "No, but she was sure passionate about her work, a little eccentric too. She has a shop on Mard Avenue." Lucia''s eyes widened. I guessed she must have heard the big, metal ceiling panel loosening. In a fraction of a second the loosening finished and it and fell, specifically in her spot but missing me. After it toppled her to the ground, her left arm stuck out. No pulse in her wrist. I was expecting it. In room 17 I told of her death, but not the full truth like last time. I didn''t want to go through mutiny again. They let me put on the headset, they got the time machine running, and I went back. After the lecture and my lie to Tyus, I thought of the possibility that maybe something happened to Lucia in the time that I didn''t see her, something that triggered the prophecy and her death. I needed to make sure that didn''t happen, just in case it had. But I also needed to stop the fortune teller. So I asked Tyus. "Look, would you be able to come with me to meet Lucia in the courtyard? I know you gotta help with the time machine, but this is urgent. Remember the vows we made to each other?" I hoped that would convince him "I''d never forget." I didn''t realize how serious those were when we made them (they seemed positively corny to me), but Tyus was upholding his without hesitation. That was the sign of a good friend, though I didn''t appreciate it at the time. We walked down to the courtyard, both in a serious manner. But I was mostly focused on Lucia, as always. "Hey Will! Hey Tyus!" she said when she arrived. "Hi," I said. "Look, this is gonna be out of the blue, but I have to cancel our date at Denzel''s." (That time I told the truth about how I was the one canceling it, but only because they probably would have caught on to it anyway that time.) "It''s better if I don''t say what it is, but I''m trying to look out for you from something. So I''m asking if you can call off working on that medical project today. Tyus is gonna stay with you for the next couple hours." "Wait, so that''s what this is?" he asked with surprise. "This doesn''t have to do with that project, right?" Then Effa came running. I ran over and grabbed her. Mary thanked me. Lucia and Tyus praised me. But I got back on my topic. "I know I might sound insane, but you guys trust me, right?" "Absolutely, especially after that," said Lucia. She looked over at Mary walking away with a smile. "I do too," said Tyus. "Good, then can you guys just stick together for a little while? And avoid the members of that medical group, Lucia, just in case. Also don''t go to the room where you were going to work on it, for good measure. Could you call and tell me if anything strange happens to you at 4:15?" "Uh, sure," she replied. "You sure you okay, Will?" "Of course I AM! Never better!" I added some forced joy to that. "Anyway, could we all meet up here at about 5:50?" "Sure, but where are you going to go in the meantime?" Tyus asked. "Somewhere to...to stop what, well, what might happen." "Give me a sign if this is a hostage crisis," he said. "I won''t need to, it''s not." "Alright, but what should we do while you''re off on your thing? We could help." "No thanks! You guys can just hang out, go places, but stick together. Anyway, I gotta go to that thing." "Okay." I ran away to my dorm to prepare. I had a plan to stop the prophecy this time, an illegal one. But it wouldn''t cause permanent harm. I put a pair of black latex gloves on, not wanting to get too much DNA on things. I emptied a small backpack I had, and put a roll of duct tape in it. I changed into a different outfit, (including a hoodie and a pair of sunglasses) making sure to conceal all of myself, except for the bottom of my face. I put an old ski mask in my backpack. It would look too suspicious if I wore that publicly on my walk to Mard Avenue. I jogged to that street, and then walked behind a building on the side that Winning Wonder Fortune Telling was on. From behind them there was a small forest stretching for over half a mile (almost a kilometer). No one saw me put my mask on. Now I was fully hiding my body, just like my thoughts. I quietly stepped over to behind the fortune telling shop. It had a back door, which I had never known about before. That was lucky for me, so I picked the lock with (what seemed to be) a small sewing needle that I found on the ground. Inside was a small storage room, complete with crystal balls, shelves of cards, and cobwebs. It had an empty door frame leading to the main room, what would''ve been the back left of it from the front perspective. As I walked into the room, the fortune teller turned to me. "Why, hello, what made you set foot in here from the storage room?" she asked, nervous, but still trying to keep that confident eccentricity. I didn''t respond. That would reveal my voice and no good would come from it. I hadn''t practiced this next part, so here goes nothing, I thought. I quickly walked up, made my right hand into a fist, and punched her in the jaw as hard as I could. She instantly got knocked out and fell toward the floor. I decided to catch her. I dragged her to the storage room and put 3 layers of duck tape over her mouth, but leaving her nose open to breathe. Then I waited. It was 4:10 at that point, and I was desperately hoping that no voice would come from the fortune teller, and that nothing would happen to Lucia. I felt the fortune teller''s wrist to make sure it still had a pulse. It did, which was good. I would''ve time traveled back if it didn''t. Then at 4:15, with her body still unconscious, the aura came. It was like the sound came out of her whole body. Will Korda, your lover is destined to meet her end 6 hours past the turn of this afternoon. Our fate has that fact so. For as long as this prophecy comes alive, she will die. Life force of this vessel is all that is needed to make that true. I did a double take. That last part was new. But most of all, my strategy failed. The prophecy came to life again. Then I got a call from Lucia. I immediately answered it. "Hi Will, just here to say that nothing weird has happened. Is your thing going well?" "Not exactly." "I hope it gets better. Will you ever be able to explain what all this is?" "Not exactly, but what are you and Tyus up to right now?" "We''re in the gym shooting hoops." "Well, I hope it''s fun. I gotta...get back to my thing. Goodbye." "Greatbye." I was being fake to her, but I thought that would still be best in the moment. The fortune teller was still knocked out, and if I ripped the duck tape off that would wake her up, so I decided to leave her. I left the shop through the back, took my mask off, and went back on my path to my dorm room. I walked there quite slowly, thinking about the prophecy''s new sentence. Life force of this vessel is all that is needed to make that true. There might be a way to save Lucia, but only one way.