Chapter 1
The Watch
I hated college. I’d been there for a total of thirty minutes, and I already knew I hated it.
My parents had driven me there, helped me unload, and driven off. They were probably celebrating with my little sister by taking her out to ice cream. I always knew she was the favorite. She was so smart with all her lame spelling bee trophies.
What did it matter? I was stuck here until Thanksgiving break. No car, and no money. Great.
I had always been the kid that nobody knew about. That kid who got straight B’s, sat bench on the baseball team, ran for class secretary and lost to a nerd. That kid that played video games, had a few friends, watched movies, fed my fish. I was the average kid that no one knew, and no one cared to. Brown-haired, blue-eyed, averaged height me.
The only thing remarkable about me was my name.
“Mikhail Constantine?” My new roommate asked with raised eyebrows. He was the kind of guy who was good at everything, and every girl—nerd and cheerleader alike—wanted to date him.
“Yeah, stop looking at me like that. It’s just a name. Besides, I prefer “’M.C.’”
He shrugged. “Okay. Call me Henry.”
We shook hands in a stiff, formal sort of manner. The kind that leaves a person wondering if he should maybe have bowed to the other person.
“Well,” he said, fixing his fraternity jacket and checking his blonde hair in the mirror. “I’ve got to see a friend about a book. My number is on the door if you need anything.”
I ignored that. Nothing like going from being a Senior to being a Freshman again. Taking my phone from my pocket, I keyed his number in, though, just in case. You never know. I could be attacked by a bunch of cute sorority girls. Or eaten by a dragon. The possibilities were endless.
Several days passed and classes began. I felt stupider and stupider as each day ended. Maybe science wasn’t really my thing. Maybe I should change my major. Unfortunately, that took way too much work. So, I stuck with physics.
A rainy day brightened when I got an email stating that I had a package. Needless to say, I was excited. It probably had food in it. Maybe someone had taken pity on me back home. My mom’s sister had always had a soft spot for me.
However, when I ripped it open in my room, I found it was not food. It was a watch. It was very funky looking with several knobs and dials. A tiger was engraved into the side. The note that resided in the box with it read:
M.C.,
I hope the world is being kinder to you these first days of college. Study hard and stick with science. It really is “your thing.” This watch is important. Take good care of it, and hopefully we will see each other soon.
May the sun shine on you,
An Old Friend
I was slightly confused. Who sent me a watch, and why? I mean, I could be late sometimes, but seriously? Food would have been better. Much better.
Shrugging, I strapped on the watch. Whatever. Might as well take advantage of this boring object.
I noticed the time was wrong. Huffing in irritation, I pulled the knob out so that I could change it to the correct time.
The world around me glowed blue.
Suddenly, I wasn’t perched on my bed in my dorm room. I was in the middle of a wet and rainy street. It was deserted, except for one person.
I waved at him. “Hey, you! Can you tell me where I am?”
He turned, and I took a step back. For a brief moment, he hadn’t looked human. He had glowing red eyes and sharp, pointed teeth. He looked human now, but I couldn’t shake the image. I turned and ran, terror pumping in my veins.
He omitted an unearthly shriek and leapt at me.
Chapter 2
1888
I was dead. I knew it. I was going to die.
Out of nowhere, a figure dropped in front of me. He gave me a push, sending me sprawling. There was a sharp clang, a shriek of pain, then silence.
I rolled onto my back, prepared to die again.
The figure cleaned his sword, then set the thing on fire—how, I didn’t know. With a whoosh of flame, it disintegrated. I scooted backwards, terrified of this new person.
“Are you alright?”
I blinked in confusion. “What?”
“Are you injured?” The voice was not concerned, just dry, with nearly no emotion. It was also female.
I shook my head.
“Did you ingest any of its blood?”
“What? No.”
“Good.” She reached out her hand, and I took it. Once I was on my feet, I realized she only came up to my shoulder. If I hadn’t just seen her kill that thing, I wouldn’t think she was that scary.
“Um, thanks. What was that thing?”
“Just a murderer.”
“Do most murderers have red eyes and fangs?” I asked.
She paused and tilted her hooded face up at me. “You saw its eyes and fangs?”
“Yeah, I’m not blind,” I retorted.
She tugged a pair of what looked like old fashioned welder’s goggles off. “Most people cannot see it for what it truly is.” She had an accent that I couldn’t place. After several seconds of intense trying, I gave up.
“Um, okay.” I shifted awkwardly. “Uh, can I ask you a question?”
“You just did,” she retorted dryly.
Ignoring her, I forged onward. “Where am I?”
“Are you drunk?”
I stared at her. “Uh, no. I’m under age.”
“Have you been in an opium den? You do not smell like opium.”
“I don’t even know what that is. Look, one minute I was sitting on my bed, setting my watch, and the next thing I knew, I was being attacked by that thing.”
She grabbed my wrist and twisted it slightly so that she could see the watch. After a slight intake of breath, she asked, “Where did you get this?”
“A friend sent it to me in the mail.” I replied, defensively withdrawing my hand from her grasp. She was strong for such a short thing.
“Tell me, what year is it?”
I snorted. “Now who’s drunk?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just answer the question.”
“2011.”
Her head jerked up. “I think you had better come with me.”
“Why? The end of the world isn’t until next year.”
Apparently unconcerned, she spun on her heal and strode off. Not wanting to be left alone in this creepy place, I hurried after her. “Hey, girl! Wait up!”
She slowed until I caught up to her. “My name is Tyren. What is yours?”
It was more of a command than a question. “M.C.”
She nodded. No “pleased to meet you” or anything. Just a curt I-don’t-have-time-for-you nod. I was used to this, but something about this chick was wacko.
My previous thought was only given further weight when she kicked open a sewer grate and descended inside. I was not going down there. Oh no. I was not going in a tight, smelly, underground place with a weird girl who I had just met. Besides, this was all probably some freaky dream.
She didn’t call up to me, demanding I follow like I had expected. It was like she just assumed I’d follow her. Grunting in manly annoyance, I descended the ladder. Tyren was waiting for me at the bottom. She snapped, and a small blue flame leapt to life. It hovered over her index finger, and I knew I was dreaming.
As she silently led on, the creepy flame lit the passage way. The walls, floor, and ceiling were surprisingly dry, though the air smelled and tasted ancient. She led me this way and that until I was completely and totally lost. Finally, we stopped at a dead end.
“Um—“ I began to say, but I was cut short when she pressed her hand on the wall, and it slid open with a hiss.
The area beyond was well lit, so she extinguished the flame with a wave of her hand. I stepped out onto a catwalk that crossed a large river. The river turned several large wheels, which I guessed generated power. The catwalks below and above teamed with life. Some of the life was definitely not human.
“What is this place?” I yelled over the whir of the machinery and roar of the river.
“Our generator for the base. We harness the Thames for our energy.”
I stared at her receding back. The Thames? Wasn’t that the river in London? London, as in London, England? This was a dream. A really, really, weird dream.
I hurried after her. She led me up a flight of stairs with questionable integrity. They creaked every time someone so much as sneezed. After knocking politely on the door at the top of the staircase, she pushed it open.
My eyes couldn’t stay still. The room was filled with gadgets, doodads, and thing-a-ma-bobs. Every possible surface was swamped with mechanical creations. It was like I was in a mad scientist’s lab. Turns out, I was.
“Sai,” Tyren called. “Sai?”
What I thought was a mountain of junk moved. It shuddered, and a man appeared. He looked like the Oriental grandfathers that were always saying, “Confucius say—“ with a side of mad scientist. Several pairs of goggles perched on his head, and countless tools hung from his belt. Under all that, he wore what I was pretty sure was called a “kimono.” I wondered if he was an Oriental Dr. Frankenstein. However, under all that, he looked familiar.
He grinned. “Greetings, Tyren. Whom do you have here?”
“This is M.C. A demon attacked him in the city, and I intervened. He claims he’s from the future, and I believe he has a bit of time-magic on his arm. I figured that you would know what to do with him.” She bowed. “I have things to attend to. Send for me if you need me.” And Tyren was gone.
I stared after her, confused. She rescued me only to ditch me with a crazy mad scientist. I turned back to the man. “Uh—“
“Do not concern yourself over Tyren, my young friend. She is very busy and not much of a people person if you do not know her well.” He bowed. “I am Sai, and you may address me as such. Tell me, does ‘M.C.’ stand for something?”
I coughed slightly into my hand. “Uh, yeah, it’s short for Mikhail Constantine.”
Sai raised his eyebrows with an amused smile. “Well, then. That is quite a name.”
“Yeah.”
He smiled kindly, and I decided that I liked this Sai person. His age was impossible to guess as his eyes were ancient, but his hair was still jet black. “So, you are come to us from the future.”
“Yes. Um, I think. You believe me?”
“I have lived for quite some time and have seen a great many things. I believe the part that interested Tyren, however, was the fact you could see the demon.”
“Demon? Is that what that thing was?”
“Well, not exactly. It is what we call them for lack of a better name. They are not actual demons, as demons have no bodies.”
“Then what are they?”
Sai shrugged. “A very wicked race bent on destroying the world’s peoples. Do not concern yourself with them at the moment. We will discuss demons at a later time. Let me have a look at that watch, if you please.”
I reached down and began to remove it.
“Oh, no! Do not take it off!”
I froze. “Why not?”
“You could be yanked back through the time stream. However, it could also go back and leave you here. Or, it could yank you through the time stream and strand you between two time streams so that you do not reside in either of them.” He sounded pleased with himself, but I just stared at him in horror.
“Are you serious?”
“Quite.”
Quickly and carefully, I strapped it back on. After tugging several jeweler’s glasses over his eyes, he peered thoughtfully at my watch. He poked it and maneuvered it around my wrist to get a better look at several parts of it. After a variety of thoughtful and curious noises, he stepped back and removed the glasses.
Chapter 3
Only Two Humans
The door banged open, and a dark-skinned girl loped in. She was dressed in as little clothing as possible without showing too much skin. A large variety of guns and knives poked from the double belts at her waist.
“Ah, Tatiana. Perfect timing.”
“Hello, Sai.” She nodded at me. “You must be future boy.” Her accent seemed to have a hint of the Caribbean in it—Jamaica, perhaps.
I arched an eyebrow. “’Future boy?’”
“Yeah, Miss Bossy-pants told me about you.” She turned to Sai. “So, you finally got a human to keep you company, yeah?”
“You have,” Sai corrected. He seemed like a natural teacher. “I do not know how long M.C. will be with us.”
“Well, if he could see the demon, we should keep him. He could be a help to us.”
I was still caught up in the human comment. “Um, what do you mean by ‘human?’” I asked, raising my hand.
“You and Sai are the only humans here,” Tatiana said.
“What?! Then what are you?”
“I’m a werewolf.”
“You can’t be a werewolf!” I exploded. “Werewolves don’t exist!”
She snorted, making Sai flinch at her unlady-like manners. “Yeah, and neither do unicorns.”
“Is Tyren a werewolf, too?”
Tatiana threw her head back and barked with laughter. I suddenly wondered if she was telling the truth about being a werewolf. “Don’t be stupid!”
I relaxed.
“She’s an unholy blood-sucking parasite. She wouldn’t last an hour as a werewolf.”
Sai clasped his hands inside his sleeves. “Tatiana, be kind. You would not last an hour in Tyren’s shoes, either.”
“Correct. She would flail like a man in the hangman’s noose.” Tyren pushed passed Tatiana. “Move aside, hound.”
The werewolf stuck her tongue out Tyren’s back. The girl had her hood down, and I could see her features better. Her face was angular, and her eyes jet black. Her long, thick hair was dark brown, and her skin was surprisingly tan. She also had pointed ears.
Sai sighed, shaking his head. “You are so morbid, Tyren.”
“What have you discovered, Sai?”
Forgetting her morbidity, the man grinned excitedly. “Well, it is a time-warping watch. It has all the correct components, and a great deal of time magic. It seems to be locked on this time period. Also, I am fairly sure that I made it.”
Tyren arched an eyebrow. “You made it?”
“Yes, well, my future self made it. It is far more advanced that I can craft today. However, it has my style, and,” he grabbed my wrist and tilted it. “My signature.”
Tyren seemed mildly surprised, but Tatiana exclaimed in what I now know as Patois, the dialect of English that is spoken in Jamaica. After they were finished, I looked at the watch. On the side was the tiger I noticed earlier. This, I later learned, is what Sai puts on all his creations.
The man nodded wisely. “Apparently, my future self made this for M.C. and sent him back in time to us. Also, M.C. is from America, not England, so it must also be able to move across space as well.”
“Why would your future self send this kid to us?”
“The dog has raised a fair point,” Tyren murmured.
“Did you just agree with me?”
“No. Sai?”
Sai shrugged. “Well, obviously he is a mage. However, I cannot say I know exactly what is going on inside my head.”
Tatiana snickered, and Tyren smirked slightly. Sai rolled his eyes. “Honestly, though, I do have a few theories.”
“Such as?” Tyren asked.
Sai glanced at me then whispered, “He could be the heir.”
Tyren looked silently shocked, and Tatiana exploded. “What?! That’s impossible! I thought we theorized that the mage’s line died out years ago!”
Tyren shook her head, shushing the werewolf. “The line cannot die out completely. There is always some link that it can be passed down through.”
“It was merely a theory after we found no trace of the mage’s line.”
“Then why send him from the future? Why not get the heir now?”
“Perhaps the heir now is too old, too weak, or too young. Besides, you know the gift can jump generations.”
Tyren remained silent, her eyes turned to the ground, her arms folded across her chest. Besides her sword, I saw that she carried a variety of knives. I wondered if they were made of silver, like the stories said.
“We have to send him back to his own time.”
Tatiana and Sai froze. They turned to look at Tyren, and a creepy silence fell over the laboratory. I shifted uncomfortably.
“Even if he is the heir, our war is not his. We cannot simply rip him out of his own time stream because we have need of him.” She held up a hand when Sai opened his mouth. “Yes, I trust your future self completely, Sai. However, we do not know for sure that you gave it to him. Besides, he does not seem very competent.”
“I’m standing right here,” I growled.
Tyren turned to look at me. Her eyes were cold, unconcerned. “Are you telling me you want to stay in London in 1888? If you stayed, you would be hounded by demons until they caught you and made you their slave.”
I stared at her in horror for a minute before quickly shaking my head.
She nodded. “You are welcome to stay the night here. However, I suggest you return to your life on the morrow.” With that, she spun on her heal and left.
Tatiana huffed. “Ignore her, she is such a grouch. She thinks that as a vampire, she gets to act like a jerk all the time. Besides, no worries, Sai will talk her in to letting you stay.”
I swallowed. “No offense, or anything, but I don’t want to stay.”
Tatiana rounded on me. “What?! But why not? We need you! Don’t you want to help save the world?!”
I took a step back, half wishing for Tyren’s cold condescension instead of this atomic bomb. “Tati, I’m just a college kid. I just want to pass my first semester. I don’t want to save the world. I can’t save the world.”
Sai placed a hand on both our shoulders. “And we respect that, M.C.”
Tatiana threw up her hands and stormed out of the laboratory.
Sai smiled at me. “Those two do improve on acquaintance, especially Tyren. She might seem like an aloof snob, but she’s under a lot of stress. She leads our forces, you know.”
I strongly doubted I would ever like the icy vampire, even if I was stuck with her for the rest of my life. “What did she mean by the ‘war?’”
“You remember the demon? Well, we are fighting them in a war that has lasted for many, many years. We thought we had won many years ago, but the demons have rallied. You see, the prize is not the city or even the country. It is the world and its peoples.”
“But everything works out, because in my time we don’t see demons running around.”
To my horror, Sai shrugged. “Time is a fickle creature. It follows the path set out for it, but sometimes what we think is the path it is taking, is not.”
I frowned, thoroughly confused.
Sai smiled as his hands disappeared into his sleeves. “Try not to think about it too much. Your brain might implode.”
----
Yay! Sorry, guys. I was supposed to post yesterday, but I've been sick and have a stupid roommate, so, you know. In penitence, I offer you three chapters. The working title is "Out of Time," but we'll see.
Oh, and Tyren is said "Tear-ren." Sai is said "Si" with an "eye" sound after the "s." And yes, he is my excuse to use long, complicated sentences.
See you next week!
No comments:
Post a Comment