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Chapter 2: The Echoes of History

The dense, red-tinged sky seemed to press down on them, heavy and unyielding, as the ground beneath their feet shifted slightly in response to their every movement. The world was wrong—out of place, a twisted mirror of their own time. The forest, once full of life, now had an eerie stillness to it, as if waiting for something.

Len could barely believe what was happening. One moment, she had been walking out of school, surrounded by the hum of ordinary teenage life. The next, she was standing in a strange time, face-to-face with someone who, in any other circumstance, she’d never expect to meet.

"Great-grandmother?" Mill asked, his voice tinged with disbelief as he took a step forward, eyeing the girl with suspicion.

The girl’s smile flickered with an odd mix of pride and mystery. She had the same sharp features, the same deep purple hair as Len, though her attire was far more dated—simple and rugged, as if she had just come from a time long forgotten.

"That’s right," she confirmed, her voice steady despite the confusion in the air. "But I go by a different name here. You don’t know me like this—not yet. But you will."

Len took a step forward, crossing her arms. "How is this even possible? We’re not… we shouldn’t be here. This isn’t our time." Her eyes darted nervously from the girl to her brothers, trying to make sense of the situation.

The girl, who Len now realized was not much older than herself, looked directly at her. "No, you’re not. You’ve been pulled back in time—by the same forces that are ripping apart this world. What you’re witnessing isn’t some isolated event. It’s the start of something much worse."

"An apocalypse," Alce said, his voice taking on a rare seriousness. He had his arms crossed, still holding the odd batch of cookies from earlier, though his eyes were now focused entirely on the girl.

The girl nodded slowly. "Yes. The world is beginning to unravel. But you three," she pointed at them with a determined look, "you have a part to play in all of this. Everything—" She hesitated, taking in the younger versions of the Jhonsons standing before her. "Everything that’s happening now, in your time, is a consequence of the choices we make. The choices I made. And the history books you read, they barely scratch the surface of what really happened."

Len’s mind whirled. The pieces weren’t fitting together. Grandmother... Apocalypse? What do we even do now...?

"Wait," Mill interrupted, the scowl on his face deepening. "You mean to tell me we’re related to you? You’re our great-grandmother and you’re here during… the apocalypse?"

The girl’s eyes flickered, a hint of pain behind her gaze. "It’s not just the apocalypse," she said softly, her voice wavering slightly. "It’s the collapse of time itself. The fractures are opening all around us. And if we don’t stop them, everything will be lost."

Alce, ever the optimist, raised an eyebrow. "So, what you’re saying is we need to stop the end of the world, right? No pressure, then."

The girl gave him a sharp look. "It’s not a joke. If you don’t believe me, just wait." She pointed toward the horizon, where the trees and the sky seemed to ripple as though caught in some kind of unseen force. A cold wind swept through, making the hairs on Len’s neck stand up.

Len’s eyes narrowed. "So... how do we stop it..?"

The girl’s expression softened for a moment. "First, you need to understand what’s happening. The world as you know it won’t survive if we don’t correct the path—if we don’t close the fractures before they rip us all apart. You have to trust me, Len. It’s not just about surviving. It’s about saving everything."

Len’s mind raced. She had always been the one to think things through logically, methodically. But this was different. This wasn’t something she could solve with school knowledge, tests, or strategy. This was something that transcended all of that.

"How do you even know all of this?" she asked, feeling the weight of the situation settling on her shoulders.

"Because I’ve lived through it," the girl replied. "I’ve seen the future—our future—and it’s one we can’t escape if we don’t act now. This is the moment, right here. Your presence means something."

Len’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at her brothers. Mill seemed as unsure as she felt, his normally sharp mind struggling to process the impossible truth. Alce, ever the joker, wore his smile like armor—but even he could feel the gravity of the moment.

"And what about the people we know?" Alce asked, his voice quieter than usual. "What happens to them?"

The girl’s eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion. "They’re part of this, too. Everyone is. But the closer we get to the truth, the more dangerous things become. The fracture in time isn’t just a rift—it’s alive. It’s hunting us."

Len’s heart skipped a beat. Alive? The idea seemed preposterous, but she knew better than to dismiss it outright.

Just then, the ground shook again, harder this time, and the air grew thick with an unnatural hum. The trees around them bent and swayed, their trunks twisting unnaturally.

"We don’t have much time," the girl said, urgency in her voice now. "You need to follow me, or the fractures will swallow you whole."

Without waiting for another word, she turned and began walking toward the depths of the forest. Len exchanged a look with Mill and Alce, and they nodded in silent agreement.

Whatever was happening, wherever this strange new world was, it was clear that it was up to them to find a way to stop it.

They had no choice but to follow.

The echoes of history had already begun. And there was no turning back now.