TURN BACK THE TIME, BABE. BOOK 7. THE WILL TO CARRY ON

I'M BACK ON THE GAME

AMANDINE POV

As the months went along, I was getting more self confident within Queen entourage. I already met each one of the band's members and I was pleasantly surprised how nice and warm acted with me without knowing me. It seemed like everyone related with Elideth gave you "the backstage pass" with no struggle. For me it was a dream come true being able to time travel to meet them. Not even in one of my wildest dreams I could picture myself being part of this. More than once I had disagreed about the turn of events and I even thought to quit this secret forum. Most of all when Joe was left behind so whimsically in Freddie's life before his time.

I hated Killer with all my might but I hated Elideth too, though I never put across clearly my ill will towards this latter. It seemed to me a sin, a heresy hating someone so precious, so valuable for all of us. But the contempt kept there all the time and mostly her suffering was linked to Freddie's natural born attraction to men, so her suffering didn't sink in me as long as Freddie could break free from that love for a while. That love with our spy that never supposed to be there into the mission.

I wasn't treading a slippery slope yet but eventually it would be. My principles remained unchanged all this time. Saving Freddie, of course. What else did make sense? But things went out of control so much and not only because Nina's fault. Since the moment our heroine fell in love like a little girl, everything spoiled in a way. All those men so important in Freddie's life turned to be into just dissolute flirts. Till she walked him to the aisle with Elton John blessing their union. But I didn't bless it. No way. Just couldn't do it.

I guess their mutual struggle to have offspring was not a great idea either but everything looked unrecognizable by then. And nevertheless, who could feel sorry about your coming into this world, Farrokh Mercury? If not for you, I wouldn't join here with the good intention of rearrange everything. I, the black sheep in any flock, with the laudable effort of trying stop taking away brutally my idol's most precious moments. No more Killers destroying and attacking with machinations. Turn back the Time still could be arranged. In a rational way for a change. Arguing and debating, setting out clearly my ideas and trusting Elideth wouldn't take it as a threat. She and I couldn't be antagonic forces. We should work in unison to Freddie's advantage. Our real goal should be him.

My very first goal was trying to stop Joe's death. He also had the right to benefit from this crazy adventure and make it up for that unfair exile he had been submitted. And I would try if I could.

On 6th june 1983, it came out a revealing headline in the famous magazine die Spiegel. "Tödliche Seuche Aids. Die rätselhafte Krankheit". Something like "The AIDS mortal plague. The mysterious disease". Just then there were barely a hundred cases in Germany and six deaths. The numbers in the States were far more higher. Keenly, I read the article. It was explained the speculations about the disease's origins, there was no treatment against it and it was pointed out within the next two years the number of sick people of AIDS would increase dramatically. And I thought about Joe once again, already infected.

From the living room you could hear Farrokh's hysterical laughs as he was playing with Freddie. It was clearly a downright anomaly in the history but still it was such a bright sight to behold. That gave me time before I cook the child's dinner. I needed a quiet and lenghty chat with Elideth.

- One day he's gonna choke with his own laughter -Eli growled and smirked.