~Rosie
Thought stares at me, wordless.
I’m not sure why I expected Thought to jump at the chance of helping me. Maybe it’s because him and I are both stuck here in the same position, at Time’s mercy. Instead he remains silent, staring me down with those unnerving silver eyes. I’m unsure of which make me the most uncomfortable; his, or Time’s golden ones.
“I’m not like you, but we can help each other,” I breathe, pressing against the confines of my binds. “Why won’t you help me?”
~RosieI wake to someone sitting by my legs.My entire body jerks up into sitting position, as I realise Time is looming over me. Placing my hand over my chest, I brush my hair back, trying to gain a little more consciousness.“Rude awakening much?” I question, clearing my throat. Time is fully dressed and ready for the day, which I suppose is easy enough to achieve when you don’t need any sleep. I, however, was plagued all night with horrible nightmares about what happened yesterday. Time’s golden eyes never once left my mind, and still are burnt into my eyelids.
~Rosie“For once, you’re the enigmatic one.”I ignore Time’s remark as he walks through the door. I’ve been pacing back and forth, raking my hands back through my head, cursing myself over and over. I just killed someone. It may have been an accident, but it still happened. I reacted out of fear, that Time would find out the mistake I made, and I would have to fess up. Looks like now, I have no other choice.“It was an accident,” I reiterate my thoughts. Realising I had raised my voice at him, I lower it, running my hand down my face. Trying to calm down, I look around, watching Time pull a pair of gloves off his
~Rosie“Please don’t hurt me.”It’s the first words to come out of my mouth. I’m staring at my mate right now. That exact man who I have gotten comfortable with over these past few weeks – if time can even be counted in the same way anymore. But he’s not the same man. He hasn’t gone through the same experiences yet, and he’s in a dark stage of his life, so he’s unpredictable. Plus, he isn’t the one who tried to bring us together. He doesn’t even know me.“And why would I hurt you? You’re my mate,” he says, titling his head to the side. My breath hitches. As serious
~RosieI lie on my side, back to Time.He stands in the doorway to the bedroom I have just been allocated, watching me. I’ll admit, this lavish estate within the clouds above the city keeps getting better, starting with this room. The walls may be a powdery pink colour, with creamy white trim and furniture to match, but it’s got a big bed and has a door. It’s enough to keep me sated.Time isn’t going to return me. It’s no use being upset over it, but it doesn’t mean I have to pay him any mind. I’ll spend all my time in this room until he gets bored of me and takes me back. Even if that means I have to de
~RosieI hold Time’s arm, leading him blindly.Surprisingly, it didn’t take much to convince Time to do this. For someone who is going through such a self-destructive period of his life, he is awfully receptive to my ideas. Even more so than the Time in the future, who is too proud to admit that he can be saved. Maybe he actually wants to change, and hasn’t yet reached his darkest space.“So why the blindfold?” Time questions, blindly failing his arms in front of him. It makes me smile, and not just at how foolish he looks. He’s putting trust in me, when I could easily put him in a vulnerable position. M
~Time (Original Time from Rosie’s era)Darkness surrounds me. This trap couldn’t have been created by anyone other than me. I’ve been placed in a dark cave, blocked in by a veil of magic. I woke a few days ago, and already have dug a whole with my bare fingers into the wall of dirt, which has finally emerged into the outside. I’ve created a small hole I should be able to squeeze my body through. The past me was smart, but not smart enough. Back then I wouldn’t have been willing to dig myself out until my fingertips were raw and my nails were cracked. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to ruin my clothing, muss my hair and cover my skin head to toe with dirt. But he didn’t have a mate.Whatever past me has done to Rosie, he will pay for it. A glance at her, even a thought of harming her. I was foolish and ignorant back then. Who knows what I would do…Pulling the dirt away from the hole, I make enough space for me to crawl through. After getting caught a few times, I pull off my jacket,
~Rosie I run my hands along the duvet, my throat dry. Time stands on the other side of the bed, rifling through the dresser. My heart flutters, my stomach turns over. Why did I agree to this again? I know why, because I’m lonely, and curious, and could do with a good night sleep, which could be assisted by the warmth of a body next to me. Even if that body belongs to my mate, who I shouldn’t even be near right now. I stare at his back. Beneath his inky blue shirt, I can see his muscle shifting as he closes the dresser draw. Quickly darting my gaze away, I concentrate on my duvet smoothing, until he turns around, tossing me a long shirt, which must belong to him. He raises an eyebrow at me wordlessly. I could protest, knowing I have less revealing options back in my room, but I decide against it. I’m too tired to argue. “Turn around,” I scold. Surprisingly, no protest, or snarky retort, as he turns around, facing the wall. I quickly change, not taking my eyes off him for a single
~ Time (original Time from Rosie's era)I sit still in my seat, watching her.I'm not sure what it is about Jennifer that bothers me so much. It's been a few weeks of this strange, although irritating university student who has been helping me retain my magic again. It has been a slow, tedious process, but finally, it may seem like we are coming to a conclusion.This entire time I've had nothing else on my mind other than Rosie. What is she doing? Is she even still alive? I don't think I'm bad enough to have done that to my mate, even with my dark history, but I can help as my mind wanders. If Rosie was gone ... I don't know what I'd do."I finally have it," Jennifer mutters, walking around the room holding a clear plastic container full of sopping wet bandages. She's been telling me she's just a student, but I have suspicions she's been working with magic for a lot of her life. Even if it did take us this long to figure out how to rejuvenate the powers I, my previous-self managed see
¬Rosie Six Months Later. Resting my hand against the force of the wind, I battle through thick ploughs of snow, a few logs of cut wood tucked under my arms. Time and I have been staying at a cabin of his in a nearby territory for the past few weeks, enjoying a change of environment, even if it means unsavoury weather at the best of times. Right now a blizzard is rolling in, so while Time makes dinner inside, I’ve dashed outside to get enough wood to get us through the night. As the sun sets, I cross what would be our backyard that is buried beneath a thick layer of fluffy white snow, the ice melting into my pants as I struggle back. Even as the wind picks up, I take a moment to admire the sun setting over the tops of the distant mountains, staining the white canvas with hues of tangerine and violet. Moving here was important for us, I believe. We needed time away from people, from the life we were living. Here, we have been able to focus purely on us. Suddenly my leg gives out b
¬Rosie It didn’t take us long to track down Jasper.The day after we spoke to Death, Time discovered from other immortals that Jasper was in his original home in the Devotion Pack. Considering he has been brought back to life, I wouldn’t have thought he would want to go back to his old life. However, Time quickly informed me that he has children, even if they are living their own, separate lives now, and that the Devotion Pack has always been his home. So we are here, standing at the edge of his estate looking in. We have no idea how he is going to react to us. He could be explosively angry, or not be bothered at all. It’s frightening to think about, but I know Time wouldn’t let anything happen to me, if it did get to that. “This is it. He should be here,” Time says slowly, making no move toward the manor. I can’t blame him for being reluctant. It’s not easy to apologise to someone, especially when so much has happened between them. Jasper’s house isn’t exactly decrepit, but it’s
¬Rosie Knocking on the doorframe, I peer into our room, where Time lays back against the headboard of our bed.The moment we returned, I fed Time the cure, which has thankfully set in, colour slowly returning to his cheeks. I’ve let him rest for awhile, but I’ve been unable to keep myself away, still coming down from the fright of potentially losing my mate. Had our plan with Sariah not have worked, I’m not sure what i would have done. “I’m so happy you’re okay. You have no idea,” I say softly, moving into the room and toward the bed. Time adjusts himself, giving me a weak smile that tugs painfully at my heart. He shouldn’t have had to go through that. “You didn’t have to do that,” he comments, voice hoarse. His golden eyes are still dull, hair mussed and messy. “Hunt down your brother like that.”I tilt my head. Of course I did. “I think more than one person got a happy ending from finding this cure,” I tell him assuredly. Sariah stayed behind with him, which I didn’t question. W
¬Rosie It took an excruciating amount of time for Thought to find where my brothers were hiding out.With their main base having been burnt down and destroyed, their technology is limited, which allowed Thought to pinpoint their location in the mortal realm, of all places. I’m not sure what their business is being in the Desire Pack, which is another of the thirteen Packs. They must have other people involved in their movement there, as they found a rather beautiful manor to reside in. Currently we walk toward up, up a very large driveway. Time is back in the immortal realm, far too ill to even move from his bed. So in his place I have Thought, who seems eager to confront my brothers to do whatever it takes to get the antidote for his brother. To think they hated each other only a few weeks ago.Sariah walks beside me, all the colour drained from her face. For her, I hope this goes well. She deserves to have a mate, even if that mate has a death wish from messing with Time. “You s
¬Rosie I pace back and forth, head in my hands. I’ve never been so frightened in my life. Facing the idea that my mate is dying, and there may be no cure for him, is terrifying. I’ve lost a lot in my life, but a mate? I can only get one, and I’ve come to love Time, more than anything. Most definitely more than my brothers, who have betrayed me, once again, after locking me up with little interest in letting me go.“So, here’s the plan,” I say, glancing over at Time as I pace, who lays on his bed, leaning against his headboard. His shoulders are slumped, body weak, as whatever poison my brothers inflicted upon him slowly, and painfully kills him. “Hmm?”“I’m going to track down my brothers, and I’m going to threaten them, and get a cure,” I tell him assuredly. My eyes are red, sore from all the crying I have done since he told me. “If there is one.”Time sighs, wincing. He’s in a lot of pain, I can tell, yet he won’t mention it, if he doesn’t have to. He knows how much this is scari
¬Rosie I waited for the entire day, and deep into the night, before I was sure Thought would arrive. With my ear pressed against the door, I listen for any sense of commotion. Usually, there’s not much going on that I can hear from the room, until someone comes up the stairs. So for hours, my head has been pressed against this door, and I have been waiting for Thought to arrive, and get me out of here. And so far, nothing has happened. Suddenly, the lock to the door clicks, making me jump back, stumbling toward my bed to appear as though I hadn’t been waiting for my escape. I expected Altin to come in, to try convince me like he had done just yesterday. Instead, Thought waltzes in. All the tension deflates from my body, as I see the immortal, dressed from head-to-toe in darkness, looking at me with that silver glint in his eyes, that smile telling all. “That was shockingly easy,” Thought murmurs, switching my light on. Clambering to my feet, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. S
¬Rosie Nothing. For three days. I’ve spent each passing moment wondering whether my inability to contact Thought is due to his lack of desire to save me, or because my brothers technology is far more developed than I’ve realised, and I can’t contact any immortal, at least in any conventional manner. Maybe it’s a far stretch to call out to Thought and assume he would be listening. But I had hoped. Lying on my bed, I stare at the ceiling. Over these past few days, I’ve done everything I can think of to get out of here. My door is constantly locked, there’s no windows, and I have no way of contacting anyone. Especially not Time. I can only imagine how he is dealing with this right now. Surely he is spending every waking minute trying to find me. I just hope he doesn’t. The door opens, forcing me into a sitting position. Seeing it’s Altin, I roll my eyes, and lay back down on the bed. He’s brought me my food ever since I arrived, not saying much more than that he loves me, he’s miss
¬Rosie Harlen does a good job in getting as much distance between us and Time as possible. He ushers me quickly out of the building and into a vehicle, locking my door behind him. I don’t bother fighting back, even if the closing of the car door has my blood chilling, my heart jumping into my throat. I may be in the presence of my brother, but the last thing I feel is safe. His claim to keep my safe is nothing more than an excuse.And excuse to hurt someone I love. Love. Time is sitting in the room still, surely concocting a plan of destruction to get me back, once the poison is out of his system. But if they have more technology like that, which hurts immortals, I refuse to get him involved. My brother won’t hurt me. Harlen may be unrecognisable, but he wants me alive; he thinks he is saving me. I have to get myself out of this myself, but quickly. I have no way of contacting Time, and he is going to be searching the moment he is free. Harlen and I don’t exchange any words for q
¬Rosie He looks exactly as I remember. There’s no doubting which of my two brothers this is; we are practically identical. He’s my twin, my other half. We always used to say he was older than me, because he was so much more matured, outgoing and experienced. He had older friends, older girlfriends and was almost always better than me at everything he did. I was devastated when him and our oldest brother were killed in the accident. It was his death that hit me the most, because despite the fact that we didn’t always get along, we were the closest. And now he is standing before me, having not changed a bit. Well, I suppose that’s not completely true. He walks confidently through the glass doors, brushing the billowy curtain away with a leather gloved hand. His hair is still as black as obsidian, but there is a scarlet red streak running through the fringe of hair that reaches his eyebrows. “Harlen,” I breathe in disbelief. How is this real? I’m not sure what it more surprising, t