Timelines and Tangled Hearts

Chapter 1: The Hourglass of Chaos

"Remind me again why we're going through your grandma's attic instead of doing, I don't know, literally anything else?" William groaned, brushing cobwebs off his shirt.

Ava shot him a playful glare. "Because treasure hunting is more exciting than your weird obsession with medieval documentaries. And because Grandma's attic is a goldmine." She sneezed as a cloud of dust exploded from an old quilt. "Who knows what kind of ancient junk is up here?"

William rolled his eyes but couldn't resist rummaging through a nearby box labeled "Do Not Open – 1967." Ava had been his best friend since forever, which meant two things:

He couldn't say no to her, even when she dragged him on ridiculous adventures.He was secretly okay with it. Not that he'd admit that out loud.

Ava suddenly froze, her hand brushing against something cold and metallic. "Hey, check this out."

William leaned over as Ava pulled out a bronze hourglass. It was about the size of a grapefruit, with intricate carvings covering the frame. Inside, instead of sand, tiny shards of what looked like crystal glimmered in the dim light.

"That... looks cursed," William said flatly, stepping back.

Ava grinned. "Even better! Maybe it'll grant us three wishes."

"That's a genie, Ava." He crossed his arms. "This thing just screams 'ancient evil.'"

Ignoring him, Ava flipped the hourglass over. The crystals tumbled downward—and that's when everything went sideways.

A flash of white light exploded from the hourglass, swallowing the room whole. Ava felt her stomach drop, as if she were free-falling through an endless void.

When the light finally faded, they weren't in her grandma's attic anymore.

They were in the middle of a Victorian street—and someone was shouting at them.

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