Going Back

We followed Lou until we reached the parking lot on the fourth floor. When he went to the edge and looked down, Lou seemed to be searching for something.

"There!" Lou said while pointing at something we could not see at first.

"What do you mean there?" I asked.

"Do you see that rotating mirage?"

Again, I looked at something he was pointing at a distance. There was indeed a moving mirage that seemed to appear and disappear into thin air.

"The gateway stays in its place. It only rotates continuously. But it will lead us back home.

We were shocked to see Lou stepping on the railings of the building. He will instantly fall to the ground if he does not keep his balance.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cedric and I screamed.

"We are going back home. That is our way home," Lou said. He acts as if what he is pointing again is not a mirage in mid-air.

"You mean… you mean…"

I could not say it out loud for fear that my understanding was correct.

"We all need to jump from here to there."

Cedric and I were speechless.

"Do you often do these? Whenever you travel back to the present?" Cedric asked.

Maybe to buy us some time to build our courage.

"Yeah. Why do you think this exhausts me?"

I gave up. There is no point in prolonging our conversation. 

We are going to jump from that building. And we are going to die.

"Hold on! If we fall on the ground, we won't be hurt. Right? Because we could not touch anything or anyone while we were here in the past."

"Hmm, I haven't fallen on the ground before. I always jump exactly on the spot where the mirage is."

Is Lou kidding me? No. He looks serious. But I refuse to believe it.

"Come on. We need to go before the day ends and begin again."

"What do you mean?" I asked as if forgetting what we were about to do.

"This timeline is fixed. When the day ends, it will resume. Everything will keep replaying as it is. We might disappear if we stay since we are not part of it. So, let's go."

"So that was why you keep coming back," Cedric commented.

Lou smirked.

"Unlike you, I realized I am not ready to disappear for good," Lou replied. "And I still like to hang out with you and Zy."

Cedric smiled.

"Good to know."

The wind blew. It was as if to remind us where we were or how high the building was.

Cedric and I looked at each other.

We are so not prepared for this.

Lou touched something from his pocket. When he looked at his palm, we saw a pocket watch. It looks modern despite the antique design. He seemed to be visualizing something before he put it in his pocket.

We all held hands.

"On the count of three—"

"Wait! Wait! Do we jump as soon as you say three or after?" I clarified to Lou.

"We jump after I say the word three."

"Okay."

I took a deep breath as I heard Lou count to three.

"One… two… three!"

And we all jump.

It felt like we all committed suicide.

And I wanted to cry.

But I felt a sudden change in the wind as if we went inside a vacuum. But it was gone the instant I opened my eyes again.

It was shocking to see all of us in that old house again.

The one I should have never stepped on in the first place.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!!! I thought I was going to die! Oh, my God!"

"It's okay—"

I heard Lou say to Cedric. He was panicking as if we were still at the edge of the building. We became so quiet that he must have let his body move as we jumped.

But we were both terrified since it was the first time we did it.

I was also still in shock that I could not say anything. That was the thing I noticed about fear. It numbs the mind and shakes us to the core until we can only scream. 

Since we bottled it up and did not scream, it piled up inside me and Cedric. Then, the following reaction I have is paralysis. I could only move again once I convinced myself it was over. 

We are back. We are really at the present time. I keep telling myself.

Cedric seemed unaware of my thoughts because Lou was still pacifying him.

I was panting while I tried to sit on the tiled floor. We are in the living room, where we first put down Lou.

Cedric is still shaking and panicking when Lou slaps his cousin.

"Snap out of it! We are back. We made it back!"

"But I… I was…"

Cedric could not seem to gather his thoughts together. It was also his first time to know how Lou operated while using his skill as a time traveler.

"Stop whining, or else Zyren will wake up!"

That made Cedric shut up.

Zyren. It was the name of their other cousin. 

"No need to concern yourself if you will disturb me. I'm already awake."

We all froze. 

We all look in the direction where a man speaks.

It was beside the kitchen area.

He is wearing a set of plain dark pajamas. He is holding a phone as if he only ended a phone call. On his other hand was a big pool skimmer net. And a few dried leaves are still caught in it.

Was he cleaning before we arrived? Or was he searching for something in the pool area? 

"So… what are you three up to?" Zyren asked as if suddenly appearing in the living room was a usual occurrence in that house.

Maybe it was given how Lou can appear and disappear whenever he pleases.

Still, none of us can move.

The three of us sat on the floor and watched Zyren approach us. 

He looks pale but not as white as Cedric. His golden blonde hair needed a haircut, yet it suited his face. His eyebrows were thick, and his eyes were blue.

He is a handsome guy. If only we do not tremble upon his presence. It was like looking at a tiger. It looks astonishing yet still terrifying. No matter how tame or calm it seemed, the fact remained that it was still a predator, and we were its prey. And it could bite when triggered, either by hunger or the need to protect itself.

Zyren moved to put the net back to its storage in the kitchen. He was still holding his phone when Zyren dropped to one knee. He looked directly at me. 

"May I ask your name?" he said to me.

His voice seemed natural and calm, yet his eyes were scrutinizing me.

While staring back at him, I can feel his cold stare.

"Laurie…" I replied while trying to normalize my voice. The shock from our travel is slowly fading. But the presence of Zyren is overwhelming me.

"Hmm…. Laurie," Zyren said while memorizing my name. "What brings you to our house, Laurie?"

"I was here to deliver something. But I think I got the wrong address. Then, I met Cedric and Lou, and we…"

I looked at Cedric and Lou. They seemed scared and unsure of what to do.

I do not wish to tell Zyren all the details. For some reason, I got torn between being honest and wanting to protect Cedric and Lou. But something tells me Zyren already knew everything. And he was only interrogating me to prove his theory. 

"Go on…" Zyren said as if he was encouraging me, so I looked back at him. Something is forcing me to look at him in the eyes and tell him everything. 

But nothing was encouraging with his tone.

He looks like a bully with a pretty face.

"That's enough!"

Zyren and I looked at Cedric.

Cedric and Lou moved and stood near us to stop Zyren from what he intended to do with me.

Zyren held his open palm to his two cousins.

Zyren stood as he spoke. "I wasn't even doing anything. Right, Laurie?" Zyren said with a polite smile.

"You're scaring her," Cedric said.

"Was I? I didn't notice," Zyren responded as if he was clueless. "Besides, why would she be scared of me? We haven't met yet."

Cedric and Lou could not respond. They knew, we all knew, that if we said anything, we would give away the truth that I know about their skills and how they regarded Zyren.

And that was what Zyren wanted to hear.

The three of us fell on the tiled floor of the living room before Zyren walked in. Is it possible that he knew where we were? Did he already look within the house? Or did he start searching for his cousins outside? It could be that Zyren sensed something was wrong when he woke up. Seeing an outsider like me hanging around with his cousins proves that things have happened. 

I could not blame him if he threatened me.

I think I am getting used to their reaction now. And I understand them somehow.

Hey, Cedric. Pretend you cannot hear my thoughts. And no, don't make it obvious. Just brush your hair if you agree with what I'm about to tell you. It was forbidden to tell anyone about your abilities and know your existence. So being here is a big nuisance to all of you, correct?

Cedric brushed his hair upward while standing beside me. 

Zyren noticed it.

I saw his reaction because I continued looking at him.

He is so observant. 

"Make us some lunch, will you?" Zyren said to his two cousins.

It was not a question but a command the two must follow, even if they did not want to.

"We will talk while having lunch. And Laurie…"

"Yes?"

"Don't try to escape. It will only be harder on you."

"Is that a threat?" I casually asked.

Sometimes I forget to keep my mouth shut.

Zyren meekly smiled as he looked at me.

"It's up to you."