Chapter One: Gwen

"No, please. Don't hurt me...I was wrong...please...I beg you," A little girl yells in agony. Tears are falling down her face.

"Stop crying...You deserve to be punished for what you did. He is only here because he is my son," She keeps crying begging for her to forgive her. I look over to see the boy but his face is blurry. Who is that? Why? Where am I? Am I in a dream? Why does it feel so real? I walk closer to the little girl to see who she was...this girl...this girl in distress is...me.

New York City, Early September 2020

I am a time traveler. Hi, I'm Gwen Rio. I am 32 years old now.

Being a time traveler is abnormal, but I had to get used to it, and surprisingly I did. I only have one concern, I can't travel past the year 2029 and I don't know why. I think that maybe since it is 10 years from now, that future wasn't relevant yet. I feel as if there was something else.

Today, I'm taking a trip to Sokcho, South Korea. It's going to be a surprise trip for my best friend and roommate, Rosaline "Rosa" Palay. I haven't told her about it yet, but I'm going to, very soon in fact. Going towards the bathroom, I brush my teeth, fix my hair, and start to pack up my bathroom products for the trip. Afterward, I grab the rest of my luggage and head downstairs.

Arriving in the kitchen, I grab some snacks that I got from the future. There're some amazing chocolate bars, a couple of fruit juices, and ramen that tasted beyond phenomenal. One thing that I find odd is that Rosa has never asked about where did I get them from. She just eats it. To be honest, I don't know what I'd do if she did. I don't want to lie to her, but at the same time, I don't want to tell her about who I am and how I gained these abilities. The truth is, I don't know how I got them exactly either. This remains a mystery to me.

Rosa walks into our apartment and noticing my suitcase by the door, points to it before looking back at me.

"Aye, what are you doing?" Rosa asks, honestly confused. A mischievous smile creeps up on my face; I can't control my excitement!

"We're going on a trip!" I shout, turning to face her.

"No way," she gasps, her mouth wide open.

"Yes way, so hurry up and get your suitcase! I already packed for you."

She stares at me for a few seconds, processing my words. Once they register in her brain, she rushes upstairs to get her stuff. I can't help but laugh at how fast she ran. I don't think she's ever run that fast before; at least since I've known her. No offense, Rosa.

"Takeoff is in six hours, so hurry up!" I yell from downstairs, sitting on the couch to enjoy my snack. I turn on the TV and reach for my phone, taking note of the time.

-

It's 2:20 pm now, and our plane is going to leave at 8:20 pm. But, everyone knows you always have to be at the airport earlier, especially for an international flight. It's going to be a late-night flight, lasting about 15 hours with no delay. It's going to be a one-way trip, and I booked the first class so we can be comfortable throughout the whole thing.

I can already tell that this is going to be one of the best adventures of my life. I've never traveled this far on a one-way trip. I feel like it's going to be similar to a subway but in the air of course. That just reminded me of a memory from my past. A memory that's a burden, a secret; one that I have to, and want to, carry alone. I don't want my loved ones to get hurt. Not again.

A couple of minutes later, Rosa comes flying down the stairs with all of her bags. "I'm ready," She declares, out of breath.

"Finally! I was bored outta my mind down here watching my show like its no one's business," I snap back with an attitude, trying to keep in my laughter.

"Alright, I'm so sorry, but you can't just tell me I'm going on a trip and expect me to be ready in two seconds. Mkay hon?" She asks, bursting out laughing afterward. It causes me to start laughing, and we turn into a giggling fit. Rosa and I have the same personalities; we laugh at absolutely everything.

"Mhm," I reply, my lips puckered like a duck with nostrils flaring.

"Let's get going. Gosh, you take so long," Rosa mumbles before mimicking the face I made. Just disrespectful. I can't believe her nerve.

"Aigoo," I say walking out the door.

We walk to the elevator down the hall, and it's empty except for us. That's because our loft apartment is on the top floor of the building and the only ones with access are Rosa and me. Once we reach the lobby, our car is already there as Rosa had called a Lyft for us beforehand.

At the airport, New York City, 30 minutes later

Arriving at the airport, we get out of the Lyft and head inside. "Where's the gate?" Rosa asks.

"Hey, we have to go to the line thingy first," I struggle, unable to figure out the correct word.

"Look at you, you're learning all these languages but can't even...smack my head. Get your English right, girl."

"I know I know, let's just head to the line," I suggest, impatient. Even if the flight isn't leaving for a while, I'm still nervous for some reason.

I show the lady the passport and all the information needed. Then we take our shoes off and put them along with our bags on the moving machine...well yeah, you know what I mean. The conveyer belt. The whole "process" that you have to go through so that you to be allowed to get on a plane.

After putting my shoes back on, I wait to the side for my slow-poke excuse of a friend. After a few minutes pass, she comes, struggling to carry her stuff.

"I'm done I'm done, let's buy some coffee. My treat!" She says, trying to walk straight and carry her luggage with her at the same time.

"You better," I mumble under my breath, joking, of course.

"What did you say?" She asks.

"Oh, nothing important."

Walking through the large and confusing airport, we eventually find this interesting-looking place called "Suzzy's Stop". It's a nice, cute, but small place that has modern textures, wooden floors and walls, nice granite countertops, and a few small but high tables. We set our luggage at the far edge of the room, and I stay with it while Rosa skips over to the counter.

"I would like 2 blends of coffee. One with vanilla and peppermint, and one with vanilla and chocolate. Thank you," Rosa tells the cashier before smiling back at me as if she bought the world. I enthusiastically give her a thumbs up before going back to my phone. She proceeds to wait at the counter until they are finished with the drinks, and afterward, she starts dancing as she comes towards me.

"Gwennnnnnn, I got the coffees," She sings, passing one of the cups to me.

"I see that, and oh! I saw that our gate is right across from here, so we're not going to have to go that far so when they call our plane. Listen out for Sokcho, South Korea, a'ight?" I tell her before taking a sip. Delicious.

A few hours later

"Passengers that are going to Sokcho, South Korea, you may start boarding," I suddenly hear over the intercom system. I look down at my phone and realize that it's already 8:00 pm. It's finally time to get on the plane. Grabbing my luggage and shaking Rosa awake, I tell her to come and line up.

After waiting in line for a few minutes, we give our tickets to the flight attendant and board the plane. I know that we're going to have to to the back of the plane since we're in first class, but Rosa doesn't know this.

"Woah is this...?!" She squeals as we arrive at our seats.

"Yes, it is," I nod, trying to keep my calm.

"AHH, YOU'RE THE BEST!"

As we sit down, my face turns red from embarrassment as people look at us, most likely because of Rosa's sudden outburst. Noticing Rosa on her phone, I see her texting Ross Redd, it was her fiancé. She's laughing and blushing, her cheeks are a rosy red. A good comparison could be the huge, red puffer jacket that Ross gifted her a while ago for their anniversary. It's currently lying on her legs as she crouches forward and continues texting.

I was present that day when he gave her the jacket. That day, Rosa tricked me into coming by suggesting we take a walk in a local park together. Now that I think about it, in reality, she didn't trick me; she just didn't mention Ross's name. It was a weekend, about 9 in the evening.

The night of the anniversary

We start walking down a path different from the one we usually do. To be honest, I'm not paying that much attention; my mind is preoccupied with other things. Rosa receives a call from Ross, but since the call is muffled, I can't understand what he's saying. As we continue forward, I smell roses, and here in New York, it's still cold, and I highly doubt that roses could survive at this time of the year.

The overall area where we're walking is brighter than usual, and I look up to see glitter, string lights hanging from the trees, and below to a rose petal aisle. The instrumental of a song that both Rosa and I, "With you" by a Korean singer named Crush, is playing. Ross is singing the lyrics of the song, not only the English words but also the Korean words. His voice is tearing me up; this is too romantic.

Rosa drops her phone down and starts crying tears of joy. As she walks up to him, I pick up her phone and stand to the side; I know what's coming. She doesn't, of course. She simply thinks that he's just making a special event for their 5-month anniversary. They stand facing each other, and he wipes tears off her face.

"Ross, what is all this?" She says, her voice shaking from crying so much.

"Rosa, even if we have been together for just 5 months, this has been the best 5 months of my life. Meeting you, getting to know you, being with you, I am always having a good time. I can't imagine my life without you, so I'm here..." He pauses, starting to kneel on one knee.

"N-no, no way, nah get out," She starts crying again.

"...Today, can you promise to be that one person, my other half, my love that I always have with and marry me?" By now, a large crowd has gathered around them.

"YES! YES! Yes! Yes! A million times yes!" She shouts, giving out her hand. She's shaking a lot, partly because of how happy and nervous she is, and partly because she's not even wearing a jacket. He puts the ring on her; the diamond isn't that big. Since none of us are materialistic, so now this moment is perfect. She jumps in his arms, and everyone is taking pictures, myself included.

"Congrats y'all, I'm drop-dead happy for you guy! Ross, how did you learn all those Korean lyrics?" I ask, walking up to them. This is probably the first I'm speaking directly to Ross.

"Yeah, how'd you do that? Your not even learning Korean," Rosa adds, a confused tone in her words.

"I didn't know even know the difference between the words or whatever, but I took classes from my Korean friend in the city who moved not too long ago. About two weeks and I memorized the lyrics because I knew it was your favorite song," He says proudly, grabbing Rosa and pulling her close to him.

"Here's a jacket I bought for you because, somehow, I knew you wouldn't come with a jacket. Since you're always doing stuff that, I knew. That's why you have all my hoodies and jackets with you," He laughs, putting a big winter puffy red jacket on her. It was as long as a dress, and It looks nice on her.

On the plane, present time

Maybe that's why she brought the jacket; she misses him. Those two love birds make me want to throw up sometimes.

As she takes off her heels, the memory goes away. I'm wearing almost the exact opposite of what she is. White Jordan 1's, gray sweatpants, and a white shirt with a light pink Jordan sign on it. I notice that Ross is face-timing her, probably since they won't be able to when the flight starts, so I walk myself to the bar on the plane. As I wait, I just scroll through Tik Tok, watch some youtube, listening to some music until it's time for takeoff.

Many hours later

A sharp pain strikes my body, causing me to jerk awake. I'm back in my seat, Rosa sleeping peacefully to my side. Seeing an attendant come towards me, I realize I probably shouted upon waking up.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" The attendant asks, stopping in front of my seat.

"Yes, I am alright. Just a bad dream," I laugh it off, causing the attendant to nod and return from where she came. What's wrong with me? My phone starts vibrating signaling I'm getting a call, and I look down, noticing the time; it's about 7 am. Seeing that the caller has already tried 5 times, I answer the call, a gut feeling telling me to answer it.

"Hello, Who is this?"

"You woke up the way you did because you need to relieve the stress in your body. You need to travel through time to regain your energy. Hurry, the energy you have is not safe," The unknown caller tells me. I'm flabbergasted. Millions of questions flood my mind; Who is this person? How did they know I'm a time-traveler? How does this random man know about what's safe and what's not?

The voice sounds nearby. so I walk towards the bathroom. Seeing a tall, old guy, we make eye contact. He starts running, and I chase after him. Catching up easily, I grab his arm. When I do, we both disappear and travel to the future. I can feel it.

Where am I? What year am I in? I've never traveled that quickly through time before. Looking to my right, I see the man on the floor next to me. He gets up quickly and disappears into the crowd. Although I try to stand up to follow him, my body instead starts to feel weaker and weaker. A drowsy feeling overtakes me, and my eyes, which feel as heavy as dumbbells, close.

I once again wake up in my seat, safely on the plane. How did I get here? I glance over to Rosa, who is still dead asleep. Maybe the attendants saw me leave. I'll ask them.

"Excuse me, did I ever leave my seat?" I ask, thinking I must sound insane.

"No ma'am. Well actually, yes..." The attendant starts. What a relief, I'm not crazy.

"...You went to the bathroom and came back to your seat. Then you fell asleep, and that's about it."

Yeah, I'm out of my mind. I, for one, did travel through time, right? It felt so real. I guess dreams can feel extremely real as well.

"Are you sure?" I ask, "I didn't disappear or anything?" My voice sounds deep like I just woke up from a deep sleep. My Spanish accent kicking in too.

"Ma'am, it is a rule for us to keep awake and watch the passengers make sure they are safe. And even more so in first-class since they pay more." Noticing that she's beginning to be sound annoyed with me, I drop the subject.

At the airport, Sokcho, South Korea

Once we get to the airport and start to arrange plans to get to the hotel, Rosa notices that Ross has been calling her nonstop. So, she calls him back and stays on the phone with him for a while. It doesn't sound good.

"Gwen, I have to go. There's an emergency with my company, Skies, and it can't wait," She says in a worried tone.

"Okay, let's book the tickets back then," I reply, starting to read the airport signs in an attempt to figure out where to go. Suddenly, Rosa stops me.

"No, I'll go, and you can stay. Your vacation shouldn't be ruined because of me," She insists, pulling me into a hug, "Enjoy your trip, Gwen.

Before I can reply or try to insist, she walks off to book her tickets back. After figuring out the subway system, I figure out that one of the trains goes very close to my hotel, so I decide to take a train.

As I sit, I decide to check the weather so I can start planning what to do on my trip; a storm is coming soon. Suddenly, the subway starts going noticeably faster, and my head starting to spin, I shut my eyes.

New York City, 2029

I time-traveled to the future again, this time to 2029 in New York City; a year I have never been to in this city. What's happening? I've never been able to travel to this time in the past, so what's different now?

The first thing I think to do is going to my loft on Wall Street. Arriving quickly, I enter the elevator to head to the suite. The door seems to be cracked open and peeking in, no one is home. Looking around, the place was a mess: full of dust with plastic wraps on the couches. Why am I not here?

I notice a lamp in the corner of the room, and a picture peeking out from under it, so I decided to investigate. As the image becomes clearer, the face is blurred. Why can't see the person's face? I don't have face blindness, but no matter how much I try to focus my eyes, it doesn't work.

Pulling the picture out from under the lamp, I see myself as a kid beside the person that is blurred. Before I can figure out what's going on, I hear footsteps approaching the loft. My heart starts racing as I rush to hide. The footsteps come into the room, and the person...is...Rosa. She notices the picture and picks it up, immediately bursting into tears. Why is she crying? Who is in the picture?

Without thinking, I leave my hiding place to stand next to her. Then I remember I can't let anyone from the past or the future see me while time-traveling. Feeling something bad about to happen, I remind myself that I can't let anything happen to her. Before she can get a good look at my face, I run down the stairs of the building in an attempt to escape. She tries to chase after me but before she gets to me, I travel back to the present.

At the hotel, present

I arrive at the hotel and after checking in and visiting my room, decide to go to the pool. I just need something to get my mind off of everything. For a while, I swim back and forth underwater. Once I get tired, I get out and sit at the edge of the pool. Suddenly, I hear a muffled voice.

"Who is there? Hello?" I ask, looking around.

"Help me-" The voice pleas, sounding quiet and far away.

My heart starts racing. It sounds similar to a drumbeat; I can't even hear myself think. What should I do? I'm extremely wet; how can I walk through the hotel like that and mess up the floors? But what if it means his life? I can't...I have to help as much as I can.

I stand up and start running to where the sound originally came from. I know I'm not thinking straight...but does that matter right now? I end up at the main entrance...just to see a person being thrown into a truck across the street from me. The black truck is going to be driving away soon, and I start to observe the man next to the truck.

From here, I can see he's very tall with dark straight hair. He's probably in his middle 60s and is dressed in a black suit; I can tell he probably has a conceited personality just by looking at him. He turns around and stares at me with his eyes full of worry. Why is he looking at me like he hasn't seen me in a long time?

Suddenly, he boards the vehicle and it starts to move. I try to chase it, but after that moment where I felt that he was familiar, it has felt like every muscle in my body has stopped, like my nervous system completely shut down.

I feel weak. All I can do is stand in the middle of the road...shocked...confused...empty feelings, all in one. My face feels cold despite being moist outside, and I suddenly feel a drop of warm water roll down my face. I reach up and feel...a tear...something I haven't felt in a long time. As the tear evaporates from my face, I walk back inside. I need to go back home.

New York City, September 4, 2020

I wake up in my bed, feeling a bit dizzy, but I can handle it. Rosa is busy with her company; apparently, someone had embezzled money. I can already tell, it's going to be a long week for her. As usual, I head to Alejandro's for my morning cup of coffee.

"Good morning, ma'am," A young man whom I don't recognize says as I approach the counter. The first thing I notice is an accent, and that he looks significantly younger than me. Our eyes meeting, I can immediately tell that he's Korean. He is very handsome. A weird feeling overtakes me, a feeling like I've seen this person before.

"What would you like today?" He asks as I read his name tag: Alejandro. This must be the owner of the cafe.