Being a traveler, you see a lot of things. You see all sorts of outcomes, how people grow into completely different personalities from what you know if you end up seeing someone you used to know. Or, if you decide to travel through time (the less dangerous but more mentally corroding route), you see equally terrible things happen.
There is one person that is the same in every dimension, just as twisted and terrifying as the last. His name is Jinks, I learned recently.
In learning this boy's named I also learned it's best if some people never meet. A simple connection between 3 men brought war to a major city.
Pitting together a manipulator, a man with great power, and a weapon of mass destruction is something I will do my best to keep from happening in my timeline.
I awoke in a casino, the blaring lights and loud noises immediately filled my head with immense pain, looking up I saw a face full of complete joy. This man grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of my chair, he was dressed like a stereotypical mob boss but with a living snake hooked around his shoulders. Vito that was his name. I never understand how I catch onto names, but when I do they immediately feel extremely familiar.
Vito walked me into the private section of the casino, leading me to what I felt was his office.
"Violeta, love, Jayce has found us a weapon of complete mass destruction. It's a boy - a demigod, his speed and agility are unmatched. He was trained to take out armies within days. Within hours! When Jayce told me he was able to manipulate this boy into joining us in taking out our rival mafia completely, I was beyond exhilarated." He slipped his fingers from around my wrist, moving them to intertwine with mine, softly rubbing the back of my hand as he opened his office door.
A young shabby boy was sat, spinning in his office chair and eating a small bag of pretzels. His white hair was an absolute mess and his clothing had clearly seen better days. His eyes were baggy and he had a look of exhaustion plastered on his face and reflected in his posture.
"Jinks, my girlfriend, Violeta. And Violeta, Jinks." Vito let go of my hand and ushered me towards Jinks.
I went over to the boy and gave him an awkward pat on the head.
"Violeta. You live with Vito? Does that mean we'll be living together?" His voice sounded so distant and soft, I couldn't see such a soft boy being weaponized.
"Ahhh... yes! We do! We will! Why?"
He smiled up at me "does this mean I'll get full meals?"
His desperate face tugged at my heart, I simply nodded at him and walked back over to Vito.
"Sorry I didn't tell you we were getting a new house member, it was a recent decision." Vito slid his hand across my back and walked over to Jinks, helping him stand.
"I just wanted you to meet our new friend, help you feel less worried about me with this upcoming war seeing as we have such a qualified troop." He put an arm around Jinks and walked him to the door. "I don't think I'll be home much over the next week seeing as we strike tomorrow, so make a good meal for Jinks please love. We'll see you after the meeting with Jayce~" I watched the two exit the room and collapsed in the office chair, my head reeling with information overload. Demigod? War? Boyfriend? Mafia? Dinner? I can't cook. I took a moment to breathe and take note of everything that's happened so far before making my way to Vito's house.
After arriving and struggling to piece together dinner, I heard the door swing open, laughter emitting from the three boys as they made their way to the dining room. Vito came and gave me a kiss on the cheek before sitting himself down.
"Dinner smells great. We've decided to strike tomorrow night at 9pm, Jinks will be thrown into the mix if we see the slightest struggle from our members." Jinks smiled at Vito's comment, sitting down and getting ready to scarf down the first meal he's seemingly had in weeks.
I allowed myself to sit at the other end of the table, listening to Jayce, Vito, and Jinks go back over their plans for tomorrow and the coming week, taking rapid note of each point that stood out to me.
9pm, war starts with the Divinity family. Jayce directs infiltration routes to keep the strongest enemies distracted so we have the upper hand in the shoot-out. Jinks waits at the back of the field. When their strongest members - and/or the main family join the main fight, Jinks is sent out to assassinate the main family along with every rival troop possible. We take everything and every surviving rival is forced under contract with Vito and sent to "talk" with Jayce.
Their war talk turned to teasing about the future and joking about the past.
After breakfast the next morning I was invited to come watch Jinks train troops in up-close combat as Jayce and Vito reviewed plans and spoke with the infiltration section.
Jinks kept looking at me as if he knew something I knew but didn't know he knew, you know? It felt like he was staring through me, aware of the fact I shouldn't be here and I was severely out of place. It stressed me out and rightfully so. I clutched the tiny notebook in my pocket. Did he read my notes? Did he read the notes from my previous trip? How would he have gotten his hands on my notebook. Does he see me as a threat? I didn't want to jump to conclusions but I did want away from him.
As the sun started to fall behind the horizon, Vito drove us (me, Jayce, and Jinks) to where we would safely be able to monitor the fight through body cams and walkie talkies. Aka Vito's casino office. Vito decided he would join the shoot-out early on so he would be leaving early along with Jayce who needed to be closer to the fight. So, eventually, me and Jinks were sat alone watching the war start on the computer screen.
"You're not supposed to be here, are you? They said you're not from here. I don't want to upset Vito and Jayce but you are a threat." I tensed.
"What do you mean?.. me and Vito are dating, of course I'm supposed to be here Jinks..." my voice wavered and the look in his eyes showed he picked up on that.
"You're a witch I think... I'm really sorry... You're really nice so please don't take this personally, it's my job to protect them." Before I had time to react, pain filled my shoulder. My vision went fuzzy as the dull pain turned to flaming agony.
I don't know how the war went. I don't know who won. That story never got it's ending in my notebook which pesters me. I hate cliffhangers.
I snapped awake in my bed in my timeline. My shoulder still throbbed in pain, but the wound was gone. I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to my typewriter, immediately relaying what I lived in another world. Before those memories could merge with the other tales I've lived. My head felt fuzzy and once again, I felt as though I've lost a fraction of my past.
I hope to never see Jinks again, at the very least if I do, I hope he doesn't catch on again. And if I see him in my timeline, I don't know if I should try talking to him or avoiding him.
