Gregg

Chapter 6

Walking home with Charlie, I learn that she doesn't have any family here in Florida except Mr. Angelico. She has nowhere to stay but with him and she hasn't asked him yet. He better say yes, I mean, there's no reason not to. I'd let her stay with me if I could but there's no way my dad would let her stay in a house with three guys. He knows I wouldn't touch her but the twins are awful people. They don't care who they hurt as long as something benefits them. "Are we almost there?" Charlie breaks my concentration. "Yeah, it's just around the corner." We pass the Jensen house and that's when I remember that the twins are coming over tonight. Maybe they'll see that I have company and they'll leave. Crap, they're coming through the front door tonight. "Here we are. Home sweet home. I hate this place." I mutter that last part but I think she still heard it because she chuckled. "At least you have a home and family. My father left when I was thirteen and my mother died when giving birth to my little brother. He died a couple months later. So I lived with my father for the four years that he stayed with me. He told me he'd come back and make my life better but he never came back." She sounded so sad but also content with how her life ended up.

I feel bad for her but also I feel that since she is okay, I should feel okay. She looks up from the ground and smiles at me. She makes me smile. I realize that we haven't actually entered into my house. I open the door for her and find a very unexpected welcoming. "Welcome home Gregg! Who's your little friend her? Introduce her please!" Felicia says as I open the door. She must have been watching through the window. I can't stand her and her family. "Felicia, this is Charlie. Charlie this is my step mom Felicia." Charlie smiles and says nice to meet you. "We're gonna study upstairs. Don't bother me Felicia." Felicia scowls and walks away.

I run upstairs and motion to Charlie to follow me. I walk into my room and close the door after her. I had just cleaned my room so I don't have to scramble to hide things. I make sure neither of the twins are hiding in my room and then I sit and relax. "Do you wanna study now or just hang out for a while?" I ask her almost cautiously. "We can hang out for a while. You know more about me than I know about you. So, tell me, who is Gregg?" I suddenly forget everything I know about myself and my life. "Whatcha wanna know?" I try to think of every interesting things about me. "Start with family? Do you have siblings? A dad or real mom?" Fun question with fun answers. "Well, my dad is working and you'll meet him later. My real mom left when I was seven so I have no idea where she is. I have two step brothers. They're twins. Maybe you met them at school? Harry and Sam. They don't look the same but they're together whenever possible. It's really annoying. Felicia is the mother of said annoying twins. Harry looks like her. Felicia is only nice to me when someone else is around, like when she saw you or when my dad is around."

I finish talking about my so-called family and I notice how intently she's staring at me. She looks as if she actually cares about my family. "Huh, so you don't like Felicia and the twins. Your mom is m.i.a and dad isn't around much. Sounds like a typical teenager's life. Anything different in your life? Anything abnormal or interesting? Secrets maybe?" She smiles a little and laughs the last question out. Should I tell her about the Jensens or wait till they get here? Talking about your futuristic children with your new friend isn't the most normal thing in the world. "Well, I'm a pretty normal teenager. You know the Jensens right? Pete and Eliza?" I decide to bring it up. She seems like she wouldn't be phased by the idea. "Yeah they're in that one class I don't have with you." Figures. "Oh, alright. Well, I think they're supposed to come over tonight. I don't know when." That's when the bell rings.

"I'll get it!" I hear from Felicia. Great, now she she thinks I have friends. Another thing she'll bug me about. I hear the low voices downstairs then the steps of four feet coming up the stairs. To my surprise, they don't knock. The Jensen twins just enter into my room with no announcement of any kind whatsoever. "Gregg are... Oh hey. It's the new girl in Fitzpatrick's class. It's Charlie, right?" Pete rushed over his words as if he doesn't know what to do. He looks nervous. Does he like Charlie? No way. She's out of his league, mine too but who cares. "Yeah. We never officially met but I know who you two are. Gregg was just telling me about you two." The twins glare at me as if they think I was telling her their most deep dark secrets. Which I think I almost did but I hadn't yet. "Well, as an official introduction, I'm Eliza and this is my brother Pete. We're pretty good friends of Gregg's. We're stealing him tonight for a quick weekend trip." Eliza looks to her brother to see if he has composed himself and I look over as well and see him emotionless and looking as jock as ever. "Yeah, we'd ask you to join us but there's not enough room in the car for even a small girl like you. Sorry Chuck." Wow what a douche. "Chuck" really? Her name is probably Charlotte. I love it. Charlie is unaffected by his comment.

"Well, he can't leave the house without me. I'm his guest. Sorry guys. But I mean, if there's enough room for Pete's ego then maybe we can find a little room for little me." Dang. "Yeah, guys, I can't leave Charlie here alone and she hasn't got anywhere else to go." Pete look uptight and kind of butt hurt by the big ego comment. "Charlie, our ride only fits three at a time. Sorry, not sorry." Jeez, why is Eliza being so mean all of a sudden? Do they know each other from somewhere? Did they clash in Fitzpatrick's class? "What's going on? Did something go on between the three of you before? Why is everyone being so mean and rude all of a sudden?" I ask and no one responds. They all just glare intently at each other. "Yeah, dad, we know her. We don't like her. Now or in the future." Oh god. What's going on? "Oh gosh. What did she do in the future?" I ask Eliza, focusing on only her. "Let's just show you!" Eliza pulls out a large metal device and clips it to my wrist. She pokes a few of the colorful buttons on the side of the screen and unlocks a large green button on the screen. Before I could protest, everything disappears and the next thing I know I'm in an old rusty building.

"What the hell? Where am I? Better question, when am I?" I ask aloud to no one. There's so much dust everywhere and it's so dark. I go to the window to see if I can identify any major landmarks or anything for that matter. The dark room suddenly illuminates and the twins are standing before me. "What's going on? Where am I? When am I?" I ask so fast that I wonder if they understood me. "You're obviously in the future, in your bedroom, forty years in the future. We brought you here to show you what you've done to this time. How much you change and how many people you destroy. We brought you here to show you why you need to be stopped." I fall to the floor. This is all too much. I begin to hyperventilate. I can't see. My eyes are filling with tears and I'm shaking on the floor. I can hear myself screaming and I can't stop. I don't know why I feel so panicked but I know I'm having a panic attack. I haven't had one since the first time I met my new "brothers". I don't remember ever stopping so I don't know how to stop this one. Eliza has her arms wrapped around me, which I think made me stop screaming but I'm still crying. "Why are you being such a cry baby? We didn't say we we're gonna kill you. We brought you here to change your mind. Now stop freaking out." Pete says unsympathetically.

I spit out the words "You are not my children.". I back myself out of Eliza's arms and into a wall. I try to get myself back to Charlie, back to my time but Pete takes the time travelling machine thing from me. Charlie. I want to go back to her, I need to get back to her. "What did you do to Charlie?" I ask Eliza. "We didn't do anything to her Gregg. I swear. We need to tell you who she really is though. She came back from this time to your time to befriend you and then she was going to kill you. Without you in her time, her father wouldn't have left her. She came back to take revenge on you for taking away her only family. Gregg, don't you see that we're the only ones you can trust right now?" I'm surprised to hear the truth about Charlie. I almost can't believe it. "Eliza, I want to go home. I don't want to be here. I don't..." I trail off and I forget my thought and go silent. I don't wish to speak any longer. I want to sleep. The last thing I remember is falling over onto the floor. I wish I could stay like this forever. It's so peaceful.