Lost In Time

Chapter 8

I can’t believe Alden! He may think that he is helping Percy, but that does not excuse the way he is doing it. I think to myself. “Hey Natalya are you coming or what?” Nikkita calls to me halfway down the corridor. “Coming!” I answer, with a glance at Percy. He’s looking at me with wide scared eyes and my heart breaks for him. “I’ll be back.” I whisper. Percy nods and hangs his head. With one last look at him I slam the door close and follow David, Nikkita, Alden, and my parents out back into the lab.

            He closes the door behind me and goes over to a machine, which he pats and pulls the chair over and sits down. “I never meant for it to happen like this. I panicked. Nikkita I’m so sorry.” Alden whispers.

            “It isn’t me you need to apologize to.” Nikkita replies coldly. Alden hangs his head and everyone goes and stands in a separate corner. I stand in the middle and look around at everyone. There’s so much despair in the room that I start to choke. “Ok. That’s it! Everyone gather around in a circle!” I clap my hands. Alden gets up, but I gently push him back into the chair. “You stay there.” I tell him and take two steps back. “Natalya what are we doing?” David asked me worried.

            “You’ll find out in a minute. Just come here.” I reply. Everyone gathers around in a small circle with Alden in the middle. “Ok here’s the deal: I’m a princess from one hundred years in the future of Areom. My “grandpa” was my guardian. So if there was any trouble he would get me to safety. But we thought that it would never happen. But it did. Aaron came and killed my parents and my guardian took me to Earth. Every year on the day that I had come to Earth my “grandpa” that’s what I had to call him well we are on Earth took me to this amazing spot, to make sure that I don’t remember any of this. But when he died it was the last time I would get my memory erased. So the year after my grandpa died I went alone, but I didn’t know what to do, I just always thought we went there to hang out together. So my memory has been coming back a little at a time. That’s what happened when I came home from school I was reliving a memory.” I explain. Looking into each one’s eyes I can see a flicker of doubt, but for Alden. But I know that he already knows about all of this. “Look Aaron is from my time period. He came back from the future to take over Areom before I was ever born. I don’t know why he picked this time period, but he did. We have to work as a team if we have any hope of defeating Aaron and save Areom. Now the past and the future don’t matter right now. What matters is the Now. That includes what Alden did to Percy. Alden was doing what he thought was best, and he didn’t know what else to do. I get that now. So we shouldn’t be mad at him. Alden will apologize to Percy, after I fix him. I have a faster way to get Percy better.” Looking around at everyone’s faces I can tell that they don’t believe me. Again.

            “Come on I’ll show you.” I tell them pulling Alden up off the chair. They all follow me over to the door. I knock three times and quietly whisper “Omera,” and the door swings open. Alden gasps behind me probably wondering how I know how to open the door; I shrug without looking back and start to walk down the corridor. I don’t take the torch that’s hanging on the right next to the door; I just walk to the second door and stop. I turn around to say, “Ok when we go in there I need you guy to not make any sounds. Ok? I need it to be dead silent for this to work.” I face the door and clap three times. The door swings open and I step through. Percy looks up, without making a sound, and I hold up my hands with my pointer finger pressing against my lips, “Shh, I’m not here to hurt you.” Percy nods and puts his head back down.

            “Ok, here comes the weird part so I need nobody to make a sound.” I whisper behind me. I walk up to Percy and I place my hand on his shoulder, so my hand is resting on the tattoo on his shoulder blades. I close my eyes and I think of everything that makes me happy. I dig up all of my happy memories of sixteen years of my life. I let them fill my body up, making me warm, and I can feel it transferring to Percy’s body. I can feel Percy and me softly glowing. All of this takes less than a minute. When it is done I can feel that we have stopped glowing. I hold my breath and pray that it has worked. I move his body so that I can see his right shoulder blade. I nod letting them know that it’s ok to talk now. “Wow, did it work?” Alden whispers.

“Yes!” I shout in excitement. Everyone claps. “How can you be so sure?” Alden ask.

“Well if the tattoo disappearing means that he is fine now then I’m pretty sure that it worked.” I explain. Alden shakes his head in happiness. “Wha...What happened? Where am I?” Percy asks.

“Percy, are you ok? How do you feel?” I ask Percy.

“Confused. Where am I?” Percy answers.

“You’re on Areom in Alden’s lab. My name is Natalya, and those are Nikkita, Alden and David. I made you better. You were under the influence of Aaron Black.” I explain. I can see in Percy’s eyes how much more confusing Percy is becoming. “I’ll explain more later.” I tell Percy. “Alden let him down.” Alden walks over, pulling a key from his coat, and unlocks Percy’s chains. Alden and I catch Percy as he drops to the floor. We put his arms around our shoulders and pretty much drag him out of the room, down the hall, and into Alden’s lab. “Let’s set him down on a table.” Alden suggests. I nod, and we drag him over to a empty table and lay him down on it. “Do you have water?” Percy rasps.

“Sure let me get you some.” I offer. Percy just nods. I go over to a sink by a weird machine, and fill it halfway with water. I walk back to where Percy is lying down. I hand him the glass of water and help him to sit up. “Thanks.” Percy says to me when he's done drinking. I take the glass out of his hands and set it on the table next to him. “What now?” David asks me.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should go back to Earth now.” I suggest.

“Wait I’m not going anywhere until you guys tell me what's going on and what the hell happened!” Percy says, crossing his arms. “It’s kind of a long story.” Nikkita tells him.

“I don’t care how long it takes, just tell me.” Percy snaps.

“Oh no.” I mutter. My back tingles, my fingertips go numb, and everything flickers from black and white, back to color. “Natalya what’s wrong?” David standing to my right asks.  

“I have a better way to explain all of this.” I say. Before everything fades, I grab Percy’s and David’s hands. “Quick everyone hold hands!” I warn. Right before I feel like I got suck into a hole, I can tell that everyone will be able to see what I’ll see in a moment.