The Eye Of The Ankh #Wattys2016

Chapter Twelve

I woke up with a text from Ethan: so am I safe to assume we're dating? ;)

I smiled, texting back simply: yes

Then I texted Hugo—on my real phone—and asked what he was up to. It was pretty early on Sunday, so I didn't expect him to answer back immediately. When he did, I was surprised.

'bout to go to church.

I laughed and asked you go to church?

Yeah. Want to come?

I thought for a second, then sent a yes.

We sat down in one of the center pews. "I'm so happy you joined us today, Alice," Hugo's mother said once we all got situated. Hugo kind of glared at her, a way of saying, Mom, please. His mother, Liddi, glared back jokingly, I have power over you.

Their relationship made me smile, and I felt a little sick. Missing my mother.

The pastor came over and smiled at Hugo, then exchanged a few words with Liddi. He smiled at me. "And who's this?"

"This is Alice, my friend." Hugo said. "Alice, this is Pastor Jack."

Jack smiled and shook my hand. "It's nice to meet you." He winked at Hugo, thinking I didn't see.

"Why'd you want to come again?" Hugo asked. Someone else walked in the church and started to talk to Liddi. He lowered his voice. "It's really not that great."

"Because..." I paused, lowering mine too. "I've never been."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Parents weren't religious." I shrugged. "I hope I didn't dress too casually."

Hugo looked down at my blouse. It was a V-neck, and I was leaning over. He smiled, his face slightly blushing. "Yeah, you look great."

"Hello, and welcome to..." Jack stood at the front of the room, starting up his sermon. The congregation went quiet, all sitting back and listening.

I didn't completely understand all of Jack's main sermon, but I enjoyed the rest. I loved singing with the whole group. It's something I can't explain, singing there. I had never heard the songs before, and even without music to read, I still knew what pitch the notes were, and how long to hold them.

It was amazing.

I learned two things that day.

1. I really don't understand why the Bible is so complex, just to get simple points across

and

2. Hugo is a really good singer. Like, really good.

Overall, I had a great time. Hugo and I walked out the main doors once Liddi started to talk to one of her friends. As we were walking down the huge front steps, I asked Hugo: "Does your mom know about Eota?"

Hugo shook his head. "I hope she never finds out. I tell her that I'm part of a very active chess club. She knows nothing about chess so she never asks any questions."

"So you're lying to her?"

"The way I see it, is that by lying, I'm saving this whole world from danger. Eota is my way of making the world a better place."

I nodded. "What do you normally do after church?"

"I go home, but my mom runs errands. Sometimes I'll go with her."

I bit my lip. "Do you want to go get a bite to eat with me? I know this really good deli place." I quirked an eyebrow.

Hugo smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to."

We sat down in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. Where we sat, it felt secluded and comfortable, despite how crowded the place was.

I took a sip of my iced tea and leaned back. "So, I have a question."

Hugo took a sip of his black coffee, then said, "Ask away."

"You said that I'm not married happily to Quincy, in 2025. What did you mean? That couldn't have been the first time you went into the future, then."

Hugo took a deep breath. "Treats me to lunch and asks all the hard questions. No, that's not the first time I've gone into the future. I've never gone past 2027 though."

"What all do you know about me... the future me..."

"You're engaged to Quincy. Engaged for a year, holding onto the freedom of being almost single as long as you can..."

"That can't be it." A waitress came over and sat down our food. I ordered a bread bowl with broccoli cheddar soup, he got a hot sandwich. "You know so much more." I continued.

"You're cheating on Quincy. And that's the real reason why you're holding off on the wedding. Quincy is ready as soon as you are." Hugo looked up at me. I was biting my lip, looking down. He went on. "I know who you're cheating with."

I looked up. "Who?" I whispered the word. How could I cheat on Quincy?

"Me."

"Futures change. It hasn't even happened yet." I dipped a piece of bread into my soup. I chewed slowly.

"Yeah, but there are certain points in time that are set. That will happen and there's nothing that will stop it. Wars, natural disasters, economical catastrophes. Even on the everyday, certain events will always happen. And I'm sorry, Alice, you are never happy with Quincy."

I started to cry then, tears falling silently to the table. I bit the inside of my bottom lip, my mouth into my hand. I shut my eyes and shook my head. "No, you're wrong."

"I'm sorry, Alice,"

"No, I'm sorry, Hugo." I took a deep breath. "I'll be right back," I slid out of the booth and went to the bathroom, leaning on the vanity, my knuckles turning white from my grip on the counter top.

How can I ever face Quincy again? Everything will be so different.

I sat in my room, listening to my Dark Mean mix, when Ethan texted me: hey darling

I texted back a simple hello.

Are you okay? I get the feeling you're not. :(

I'm okay. Just heard something earlier that shook me. I'll be better tomorrow.

He texted back, and I could feel his hesitation: want to come over???

I looked at the time, past my curfew, and if his mother was sane, past his too. It's a school night, and I should say no.

So why did I text yes?