Chapter Forty Five

Madeline’s POV

One, two, five, eight. Eight, five, two, one. Five, one, two, eight. Two, five, eight, one. Eight, two, five, one. Two, eight, one, five. Wrong. Locked for one minute.

Tears prick the sides of my eyes, not out of sadness, but frustration. I’m locked out of my past again. I’ve tried repeatedly, writing down all the twenty-four possible combinations and crossing out the ones I have already tried.

Eight, two, one, five. Nope. Five minutes.

Five, eight, one, two. Incorrect.

I’ve reached my eighth attempt and am now locked out for fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes to sit in regret and annoyance before trying again. Time has passed and it’s nearly noon.

I groan and slump onto my bed in exhaustion rather than defeat. I just sit there pondering my existence and purpose until I get up to continue pursuing my password.

One, eight, two, five. Denied.