2199 Extinction

Confessions

            I take off in the direction of Malum and my mother, weaving in and out of the crowd. By the time I get to where they were, they are gone, swallowed by the crowd. I whip my head side to side, trying to catch sight of them again, but no luck. "Aaaaaahhhhhh!" I shout in frustration. Those closest to me, turn and look, before hurrying away.

          "What's the matter, Astra?" Amlican ask, coming up behind me.

           "I just missed them. Malum and my mother. They were just here. I have got to find a way to get him away from her, and I've got to do it fast! I'm running out of time." What to do? Where can they possibly have gone?

          "What do you mean, you are running out of time? You can get rid of him at any point, can't you?" Amancia asks, from beside Amlican.

          "No, I can't! It must be before they reach Talfar! Once there, the Royal Guard will protect him, and I'll never be able to take care of business!" I snap, continuing to search the crowd for any signs of them.

           "They haven't left the station, yet. So, calm down." Amancia says.

            "I'm sorry. It's just I've tried twice, already, to stop him, and both times were utter failures." I say, turning to face Amancia.

           "What do you mean, you've tried twice? We never time traveled other than to get here." Amlican says, drawing a few stares from nearby people.

          "Let's move this party, this way." Amancia says, heading for a nearby restaurant.

          I don't answer him, I just follow behind Amancia. I've already let too much slip. If I answer his questions, he'll want to know how I failed. And I never intended on him knowing. I'm too ashamed that I failed twice to keep the man I love, alive. Amancia slides into a booth and I slide in, across from her, Amlican sits down, next to me. I continue to be silent and Amlican continues to stare.

          "Astra?" Amlican asks reaching out and gently taking hold of my chin. He turns my head towards him. "What do you mean you've tried twice and failed? What happened? Why didn't you take me with you?"

          "Because I failed not only to stop Malum, but I failed to keep you alive. You got killed both times. That's why I had to go back and try again. I mean, technically, the first time wasn't even to get rid of Malum. It was my own stupid curiosity." I confess, barely above a whisper.

        Amlican presses his lips to mine and kisses me deeply. When he pulls away, he looks me in the eyes and says, "Don't worry about me, if I get killed again, just keep going. As long as you stop Malum, that's all that matters to me."

          "I care about you. I can't just let you die!" I say, tears forming in my eyes. "I love you." My head starts to feel funny, and nausea suddenly hits me like I was punched in the stomach. I take a couple of deep breaths, to calm myself down.

          "I love you, too." he says, kissing me again. He pulls away and asks, "But don't you remember what Vos said?"

           "About what?" I ask, wiping the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand.

          "Who is Vos?" Amancia interrupts.

            "An older Copaie female, we met before we got here. She's the one who gave us the time travel jacket." I explain never taking my eyes of Amlican's face. "She's the one who told us to come back to this point to stop Malum."

           "Sounds like I owe her a debt of gratitude." Amancia says. "She's the reason I got to see how my daughter turned out."

            Amlican ignores her and continues, "Don't you remember what she said? She said that time travel will cost you something, very important. If my life is the price you pay for the chance to change history, then I gladly give it."

         "No!" I shout, drawing a few stares from nearby tables. My stomach starts to churn, again, and I have to excuse myself. I make a beeline for the bathroom, in the back. I lock myself in a stall and throw up, several times. The automatic toilet, flushes after each time. My emotions are running so high, I've made myself sick. After I'm sure my stomach is settled enough, I unlock the door and walk to the sink. I wash my hands, splash water onto my face, and then gargle water, spitting it into the sink. I reach for a nearby paper towel and dab my face dry. I look into the mirror, over the sink, and notice that my yellow skin is paler than usual. Maybe if I eat something, I'll feel better. I make my way back to the table and wait for Amlican to get up so I can sit down.

         "Are you, okay?" Amlican asks, standing up, a worried look in his eyes.

         "I'm just hungry." I say, sliding into the booth. I pick up a menu that was delivered while I was in the bathroom. Three glasses of orange liquid, like the stuff we had our first day here, sits on the table. I eye it suspiciously, remembering the blackout that followed. It might have been six weeks ago, but I'm not sure I want to drink it, ever again.

          "I thought you liked those. But don't worry, I didn't put anything in it, this time. I promise." Amancia says.

         I look up at her and see her holding her hands up in the air. She puts them back down and I eyeball the drink, again. "Are they fermented?" I ask.

          "No." Amancia answers.

          "Good. I don't ever want to lose control of myself, again." My thirst wins out and I pick up the drink and gulp it down. Once the cup is empty, I put it back down and I flip through the menu. What do I want to eat? I end up deciding on some sort of roasted bird with vegetables on the side. When the waitress arrives, we place our orders and wait.

          "So, what's our plan of attack?" Amancia asks. "I'm sure he's here, somewhere. He just got here; I doubt he left that quickly. Besides, he mentioned to daddy that he wanted to take care of the thug, Mangone. As far as I know, that hasn't happened, yet. Maybe we should revisit the idea of talking to Mangone. Just because the clothing shop was closed, doesn't mean we can't talk to him, as we are."

           "Definitely might be worth it. If we can manipulate him into killing Malum, then our problems are solved." Amlican adds.

           A shudder of fear and disgust runs through me at the idea of talking to him, again. "No. No way. Not happening, again." I quickly explain what happened in the last timeline, leaving nothing out.

          "Oh. Never mind, then." Amancia says. "We will have to figure something else, out."