Timing Is Everything

Chapter Four~ Timekeeper

CHAPTER FOUR~TIMEKEEPER

I wake up a little bit dazed. The girl had appeared in my dream again. But like last time, my mind faces a dark void when trying to conjure up her identity. Who is the mystery girl? Is she even real? I can’t be so desperate that my mind made up a girl. Yes, I’m the only one out of the four that can’t enter the human world, but I can see them in my visions. And never once have I yearned for a companion. This girl though, real or not, has made me so confused, something I have never been, and I need to find her. I don’t know how, but I’ll find her.

I get up from my bed and shuffle towards my door. I enter the Center, where Interceptor and Conscience#3 are quietly discussing something. I clear my throat and they look up.

“Hey!” Conscience#3 says cheerfully.

I nod to acknowledge both Spirits’ presence.

Conscience#3 continues, “I just got back from North Carolina!”

“Because?” I ask her.

“We opened your screen,” Interceptor says cautiously.

I stare at him.

“Well, you were sleeping, and we needed updates!” he rushes to continues.

“Mhm,” I mutter.

“ANYWAYS,” Conscience#3 says loudly, “Hayden and Cole were actually having an animated conversation, so I went to check on them. I didn’t enter their minds or anything though!”

“Good,” Matetracker says sternly as she appears out of thin air.

“Except for the last few minutes…” Conscience#3 says slowly. She’s quick to explain, “Cole asked if Hayden wanted to stay for lunch and I entered her mind to stop her from saying yes!”

“Uh-huh,” Matetracker says, crossing her arms, but I can see the trace of a smile on her face.

“Timekeeper, do you know what’s going on with Cole?” Conscience#3 asks.

I frown and shake my head. “Still blocked,” I answer.

Conscience#3 expertly says, “Well then, this couple needs to take it slow until we figure out what’s going on with Cole. Hayden has her moments of confidence, being a teacher and all, but she’s actually shy. And I can only guess that Cole is, too. If Hayden had stayed for lunch, the atmosphere would’ve turned really awkward, seeing that they ran the topic of books dry. They need time to recollect their thoughts. They don’t even know that they were made for each other! So she couldn’t have stayed. After all…” Conscience#3 turns towards me.

“Timing is everything,” we say together. I laugh quietly. That is my motto and all three of them have heard it countless times.

Matetracker stands and admires Conscience#3.

Out of all of us, Conscience#3 is the most passionate about love. This is probably the best job that could’ve been given to her. Matetracker and Interceptor are the balanced ones. They take it seriously when needed, casually when not. And I, I am the serious, everything-has-to-be-perfect Spirit. I work with time, and time has no space for mistakes.

“Nice speech,” Interceptor says, smiling fondly at Conscience#3.

She shrugs. “It’s just logic.”

Matetracker turns to me and says worriedly, “Do you think that nap helped?”

“I hope so,” I say.

“Try to see Hayden and Cole’s future,” Conscience#3 says, staring at me.

I close my eyes, tune everything out, and enter the familiar tunnel. I am, once again, met with black. Frusterated, I try another couple.

‘Australian infants- Aaron and Joanna, childhood friends.’

I enter their tunnel and see their future, bright and clear.

‘Age sixteen, Joanna runs home crying, because of horrible breakup. Meets Aaron in their old treehouse. They sit and talk about the past, like when Joanna dared Aaron to kiss her and ran when he tried. Two in the morning and she leaves, feeling much better. He watches her and remembers when they were seven and nine, and she said his eyes shined like pretty lights.’

This is Conscience#3’s favorite couple. I leave and enter another tunnel.

‘Vietnamese teenagers- Thanh and Lien. He’s a bully, she’s a good girl. He falls for her, but she refuses to have anything to do with him. She changes her mind when he makes a sacrafice.’

This is an interesting couple as well. Filled with hope, I go back to Cole and Hayden’s tunnel. I am met with nothing, but black. Quickly, I close all tunnels and travel back to the Center.

Once there, I sit down with my face in my hands and growl.

“It didn’t work?” Matetracker asks me softly. I shake my head furiously.

“Maybe it’s because you spent two months without sleep,” Interceptor offers. I shake my head again.

“I tried other people and I could see their futures fine,” I grumble. “I don’t know what’s going on!”

Conscience#3 sits down next to me and says quietly, “I can visit them once in a while to make sure everything’s alright. How about we just focus on other couples for right now?”

No. There has never been a difficult job that I couldn’t do. What’s so special about this assignment?! What am I doing wrong? And to top everything off, I am being made into scrambled eggs by the girl in my dreams!

I don’t voice any of this aloud. Instead, I let out some gibberish that I hope sounds like ‘fine’.

I look up and inform Conscience#3, “Thanh and Lien needs you.” She nods and disappears.

“I found Soul Mates,” Matetracker says with a grand smile. “Screen please?”

I open the screen for her and we get to work.

*******

A/N: Can you tell what song I based Aaron and Lilah's future on?(:

~7imekeeper

PS: sorry the chapter is so short. I'm sick. *cough cough* <--- see?