Another Timeline Without You

Chapter 6

6

I never should've come back here. It was dark, cold, and the air was suffocating her. Every memory about the war, the pain, and the suffering made her flinch. She tried her best to walk through what's left of the park–or rather, graveyard–but eventually, she caved in to her fears and sprinted back into her car, not looking back even once.

The moment she got in–feeling the cold breeze of the air conditioner–she let out a deep sigh, knowing she was safe. For now. As she glanced at the passing cars on the highway, she pulled the letter out of her backpack that was on the passenger seat, and re-read it one more time.

This is, once again, torture. Of course it was. It always is, anyway. She never thought of any inconveniences to be a normal occurrence. Instead she thought of them as daily torture, with a free subscription! This girl is...quite the negative thinker, I must say. But I mean, she's not unlike me–an overthinker that thinks everyone hates her and...I've said too much.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she turned the key, started the engine, and drove out of the small-spaced parking lot. Her smooth hands were shaking as she kept her grip on the steering wheel tight. The night was quiet, as it always was, in this humble town. Even in the olden days, it was always so...peaceful. Yet something always seemed to lurk in the shadows of the night. Always, always, always.

After about an hour-drive, she finally reached the garage of her house and turned the engine off. Boy was she glad to be home. But is it really..? Is this really home..? She was never sure, so she didn't feel the need to ask, since no one will answer the 'stupid' question anyway.

It was normal for her to move from house to house, as that's what living multiple lives does to a person(I suppose). But she never truly appreciated each estate that housed her, except now, of course. She actually appreciated the roof over her head this time, but only because she's been scared lately.

She stepped out of her Hyundai i10–the car her mother paid for–and took in a breath of fresh air. She didn't appreciate many things in the lives she lived, but hopefully she can change that this time.

With a mind filled to the brim with more questions than answers, she went inside her humble abode and tried to get a good night's sleep, though she would have to be the one to find sleep itself.

The morning greeted her with raindrops, ones that slowly got bigger by the second. Do my mornings always have to be met with misery? She just wished that the day would go by smoothly, and that she would be able to do her laundry for once, but alas, the rain stopped by to say hi.

It looks like she's forgotten yesterday's events, or perhaps she just pretended to forget. Maybe last night was the first thing that came to her mind the moment she gained consciousness? Or maybe her mind decided to completely ignore those unwanted memories? Well, only Penny would know.

She got up from her bed and walked into the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water once she was there. She thought about eating a stale piece of bread, but it was quite unappetizing to look at, so she stood against the idea.

Do I have to go to work? Maybe I should call in sick...But Lyn is probably looking forward to seeing me, so I guess I'll just go, she said—mostly to herself.

Was she fond of the idea of getting her car drenched in rain? Most likely not. She liked seeing her car as clean as her nails, which, to be fair, were quite pristine.

If only her life were as clean as her car. If only.