Confessions Of A Time Traveling Teenager

Chapter Six; How can he ever forgive me

Chapter Six

I was ashamed.

We came here to stop one family to stop from being faded, now there's two families that need some time traveler assistance.

"Brooke, can I talk to you?" Xandra asks and nodded her head toward the hallway, her voice is tight and squeaky.

I nodded and looked at Everest one last time before following her out into the hallway. I didn't trust myself to talk in front of Everest.

From the time it took me to get from the bed to the hallway, I was a mess. Shame prickled in my stomach and I was on the verge of tears.

"I told you this was going to happen," she says as soon as I close the door behind me. That's the angry russian we all know and love.

"Xandra," I said and shook my head. "Please don't start, I know this is all my fault."

Her face softens for a moment, maybe she feels bad for Everest. Maybe she feels bad for me-nevermind. That was a stupid thought. She turns to look up at the ceiling.

"How can I fix this?" I almost beg, Everest doesn't deserve his family to be taken away from him. If anything, I do.

"It's either your family, or his," she says coldly. And, she's back.

The thing is, my family is not even here. They disappeared, Everest's family is still here. The fading with erase my family tree, not his.

I contemplate on this for a second too long. Xandra's face is smug when she knows she was smart enough to get me thinking.

"Let's just get my family back," I wipe tears and turn away to go back into the room.

"Brooke," her cold hand is on my upper arm; squeezing it tightly. "I'll leave you two alone to explain this."

Then it hits me, I have to explain why I took Everest's family away. He's going to hate me after this.

I nodded and put my hand on the brass door knob, her hand left my shoulder as she continued down the hallway. I take a deep breath before pushing open the door.

Everest was laying on his back on my bed, he was wiping tears off his cheeks.

"Ev'," I called out quietly. That caused him to sit up and quickly wipe all the remaining tears off his cheeks and chin.

"Brooke," he whispered; his voice trembled and cracked. It broke my heart. "Can you tell me what happened to my parents and why they don't remember me?"

I crossed the room and sat down down next to him. I folded my hands in my lap and then unfolded them nervously.

"Brooke?" His hand was all of the sudden on my shoulder, I looked up. "What happened to my family?"

So I broke down and told him about the fading. I left out the part of my family and why I was here to save them. He wouldn't come close to understanding the pain; his family was still here. Mine didn't exist for the moment being.

He was silent by the end of my truth spiel. His beautiful green eyes held tears, but he was silent.

"I get it if you hate me now and never want to talk to me again," I covered my eyes with my hands, more tears slipping out between my fingers. "-because this is all my fault-"

My joint pity party with Everest was suddenly cut off when I was suddenly engulfed in a warm mass of flannel and scrawny-ness. Everest was hugging me.

I lowered my hands and wiped them off with the inside of my arm. Everest stopped me in the action.

"This isn't your fault, Brooke," Everest said quietly and pulled me against his chest. "It happens, doesn't it?"