Complications

Burning Bridges

"Are you in or not?"
"No. Never."
Camilla laughed, and left the Machine. The Professor ran into Clessa's apartment.
"She's not your mom. She's Camilla."
Clessa looked at him with disbelief.
"Camilla wants to take over the world."
Clessa jumped up and raced over to the Machine.
Once they got into it, the Professor shut, locked, bolted, and barred the door.
"Camilla has the most powerful weapon in the world. Queen Elizabeth made it o protect her reign. Its called the Gridlock. Its a ring that once blood from a relative of Liz is put in the capsule, it will become the most powerful weapon ever known to man."
"What is she going to use it for?"
"To take over the world. And you are the blood relative she plans to use."
"Are my parents dead?"
The Professor gravely nodded. He came over to Clessa, and embraced her with a hug.
"It'll be okay. And I can tell you something about my age."
"What?"
"No Shadow Searcher can ever depict there age because traveling through time actually makes it really hard to keep track of time. And because I pick up what I look like from where I visit, my age is really a mystery."
"Thats kind of cool."
The Professor looked at Clessa after releasing her from the hug. He grinned, and his smile lit up the room. Clessa felt like the only thing in the world the mattered was the Professor.
"Do you remember when I told you that word?"
Clessa nodded.
"We don't need it anymore."
"Why?"
"What was the word again?"
Clessa leaned over and whispered it into his ear.
"Oh yes. We don't need it. I found you."
The Professor looked into her eyes. They slowly leaned into each other, and it seemed like the time around them stopped.
"I can't," whispered Clessa.
"Just once. I have to do this once."
Clessa smiled and leaned into the Professor. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and kissed him.
The kiss was not like Simon's. It was so much more. It tasted like adventure, and it felt like shattering glass. Clessa could hear her heart pounding, and she knew that the Professor was the person that she should have been kissing the whole time.
The Professor loved how Clessa was the one to kiss her. They belonged together, and the Professor felt like he just filled up the empty hole that was in his heart.
Slowly, and reluctantly, the two pulled apart. Clessa looked into the Professor's eyes. His beautiful, brown eyes that Clessa had fallen in love with the first time she had ever met him.
"But now I need to tell you something."
Clessa nervously nodded and bit her lip. She took a deep breath.
"All of your life, I have followed you around. To make sure that you were safe, because something dark is happening in the future...something evil...and you play a big part in it."
Clessa looked down at her shoes, and then turned away. She did not want the Professor to see her cry.
"I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, I just need to know how you feel."
And soon, all of the anger that she had bottled up, just came out.
"WHY DIDNT YOU COME TELL ME MY PARENTS WERE GOING TO DIE?"
Clessa picked up a hammer that was lying on the control panel, and chucked it at the wall. Sparks flew.
"Can you please understand I did it for your safety? Your the most important girl alive right now and I fell in love with you."
Clessa felt her cheeks start to burn.
"Love is a strange feeling," said Clessa as she turned back towards the Professor.
"I know, and that's why I came to your parents house. To rescue you."
Clessa looked at the Professor.
"I'm sort of like the damsel in distress then, aren't I?"
"Your much more brave than that."
Clessa walked around the control panel, and distracted herself with all of the shining buttons and levers.
"Your brave and strong and..."
The Professor was in a loss for words.
"I've heard it all before. Oh Clessa your so brave, oh Clessa your so pretty."
"It's all true."
"The girl and the alien. Sounds like a love story where there brains get sucked out by a jealous alien caught in the friend zone. Then they have to battle off like eight guards or whatever."
Clessa tried to completely forget what the Professor had said before.
"So how are we going to stop Camilla?"
"We just have to wait. She'll come back for you."
"Will you protect me?"
Said Clessa with a grin. The Professor laughed and nodded.
"Okay, so are we just going to sit here and wait for my ex-mom? That will take like eight years!"
The Professor looked at Clessa, and slowly stepped towards her.
"Why do you keep saying that number?"
"What number?"
"Eight. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but then it started showing up more and more. I've seen this before."
The Professor started to pace.
"Think think think think thinking..."
The Professor started running his fingers through his hair.
He stopped. The Professor's expression became grave.
"When did you notice eight appear?"
"About...ten hours ago."
"Okay...we still have time."
"Time before what? What's happened?"
"It's called the Geranium Code. A number follows a person around, and it represents how much...time they have left."
"How much time do I have left," whispered Clessa.
"It can only be hours, minutes, or days... so you have about seven days left."
"Is there any way to stop it?"
"No, but willing your mind is the bet way to stop it."
Clessa felt a tear run down her cheek.
"So I have eight days to live?"
The Professor nodded.
"Alright.....then we better....stop Camilla first."
Clessa tried to keep strong, but soon felt herself sobbing.
"It'll be fine."
"Fine? You call this fine? I have eight days to live, and a crazy lady wants my blood. This is not fine. This is bad. This is horrible."
"It's better to stay positive."
"It's easy for you to say! You have your whole life ahead of you. I have eight days. Eight cruddy days. I might not even survive all of them."
"I know this is going to be really hard. But you are the closest link to Camilla. I'm going to need your help the most. Can you do that, for me?"
Clessa nodded, and answered his question with a kiss.
"I have no family left, a crazy lady wants my blood, I have eight days to live, and an alien is taking me around the world. How many bridges can we burn?"
"You did not burn any. Your fake mother did."
"How could some woman not like her own daughter?"
"I don't know."
Clessa laughed.
"Don't force a laugh. Let it out if you need to."
"If I let it out, it won't stop."
Clessa but her lip, and focused on the Professor.
"Your a great distraction. But, where are we right now?"
"Wanna see?"
Clessa grinned and nodded. The Professor walked over to the door. With one last look at Clessa, he opened it.
"We are in......space?"
Clessa looked at all of the stars, and smiled. She could see earth.
"You changed it back to stars?"
"Camouflaged."
Clessa leaned out the door, and put her foot into space.
"How am I breathing?"
"Air shield. Like a giant, invisible....bubble."
"I've always wanted to go to space."
"Most dreams do come true."
Clessa looked over at the last person in the world that she actually loved, and smiled.
"You are beautiful when you smile. Prettier than all of the stars."
"Why thank you."
"I only say things that are true."
Clessa pulled him in, and they kissed.