Death Will Bring Us Together

Chapter Eight: Confessions

I shot up in bed, sweat covering my forehead and causing my hair to stick to my skin. I brushed my hair out of my face and took a few deep breaths, gulping down the fresh air that filled the room. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, and it was almost painful. But now, when I thought about it, I felt strength flood my limbs, and I knew I could do this. If I saw the vision again, I could change it. I could change anything. Anything that I needed to. But I couldn't just stay here and do nothing. I needed to tell my parents. This was important, and it was time I told them who I had been talking to and what I had been doing. I had to tell them, there was just no other choice.

I slipped out of bed and pulled on some sweatpants, taking another deep breath in preparation for what I was about to do. I closed my eyes briefly and then opened my door, walking out into the hall and tip-toeing to my parents room. I pressed my ear against the door and held my breath, making sure I didn't barge in on them 'doing anything'. I chuckled softly to myself and then twisted the doorknob, slipping into their room and seeing that my mother was wrapped up in my fathers embrace, her tear-stained face pressed up against his chest. They both looked up when they saw me and I stood in the doorway awkwardly, not knowing what to say or where to start.

"Alexis, what's wrong?" My dad said curiously, being the first one to break the silence.

"I have to tell you guys something." I mumbled, twisting and untwisting my fingers in an attempt to distract myself.

"Okay... What's wrong sweetie?" My

mother asked, finally gaining enough composure to dry her tears and speak evenly.

"I think I wanna sit down. It might be a long story." I admitted, sitting down in a chair in the corner. My father frowned and reached over to the nightstand, pulling on the lamp switch and letting a dull yellow light flood the room, illuminating all of our faces and casting shadows on the floor.

"I'll start from the beginning, but I don't know how much you'll understand, or how much you'll believe." I whispered, avoiding eye contact with either of them. I saw them nod from my peripheral vision and I took a deep breath and began.

"You guys might have heard the first part, but I'll say it anyway. After I found out that I had the power to become invisible, I wondered if I had any other powers that a normal human wouldn't be able to do. I didn't know how to go about testing it, so it made me frustrated sometimes. Then one night, I had a dream, but it was more like a vision. It felt so real. I was placed in my mother's body, and I felt and saw everything from her perspective as she died. It was a horrible experience, but it intrigued me on how I was able to see that. When the vision ended, another image appeared before I could wake up. It was a young lady, and she introduced herself as "April's mother", aka my grandmother. I didn't know what to say, but then my grandmother told me I had a gift. She said I can change the past." I said, finally taking a break in my story and glancing up to see my parent's faces. My father looked dumbstruck, while my mother surprisingly looked somewhat... Hopeful.

"You can change the past?" She asked, sounding a bit eager. I shrugged and closed my eyes briefly.

"But there's more to the story. The next night I saw a vision of the decision that changed my mother's life forever. When she was texting my father in high school, she said 'I love you' and then grew nervous that there would be no reply. When there was no response for a few minutes, she grew upset and ran off to the bathroom, leaving her phone on the couch. Her parent's were watching TV, but when her phone buzzed, her father picked it up. It was a message from a boy named 'Chris', and it said 'I love you too'. Her father grew furious and announced that they would all be moving to California earlier than he had planned, and when he said that, it put him in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he had never decided to move earlier than originally intended, he wouldn't have died." I finished, looking up at my parents again to make sure they were still paying attention. They both nodded and then my father finally spoke.

"So basically April's mom is telling you that you can fix that?" He asked doubtfully, sounding like he couldn't believe what I was saying. I nodded eagerly but then bit my lip.

"But... There are some repercussions." I admitted unwillingly.

"Like?" My mother pressed, wanting to know the full details and consequences of my newly found ability.

"My grandmother spoke to me, and she said if I change the past, I can't always save everyone. I didn't understand her riddle, until just now when she showed me in a dream. Now I understand everything, and that's why I woke both of you up. I have to let you know what you'll be facing." I said, mumbling the last part of my sentence so quietly that I wasn't sure they could hear me clearly.

"You can' save someone?" My father whispered, sounding upset and anxious to know who it was that I wouldn't be able to save. My heart throbbed painfully and I nodded.

"T-there's one person that I can't save." I said nervously.

"So who is it?" My mom asked, sounding like she was growing impatient. My father tightened his arms around her as they both awaited my response, and I took a deep breath, wondering what their reaction would be to what I had to say next.

"I can't save myself."

"I don't understand." My father said instantly, but I glanced over at my mom, who had tears filling her eyes.

"Chris..." She whispered sadly, clutching the covers in her hands.

"What?" He asked, his gaze flickering back and forth between the two of us in confusion.

"Don't you see?" My mom asked suddenly, the tears running down her face. My father quickly wiped them away lovingly, and I turned my face away in embarrassment.

"See what? April, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly. She just shook her head and motioned for me to explain.

"Dad... If I go back in time, when I have my vision tonight... I can change the past. But if I do change the past, you might never get mom pregnant. And then I might never be born." I admitted, looking down sadly.

"What?! Alexis, that's crazy!!! No way! You are NOT doing this!" He yelled, making me jump in shock at his angry outburst.

"Chris, calm down." My mother whispered, gripping his bicep and forcing him to sit back down. He took a deep breath and folded his arms, glaring at me.

"You can't be serious. I'm not letting you do this. I'm not letting you kill yourself." He growled angrily.

"It's not killing myself! If I go back in time and change what happened, I'll never exist in the first place! I never would have been alive!" I said, trying to convince him. Didn't he see? His love for my mother far outgrew our current situation. He needed her, and she needed him. I didn't want to be an obstacle in their way that they felt obligated to help. I sighed and looked down at my intertwined hands.

"I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I have to do it. After tonight, there'll only be one more day left until Mom is gone forever. And I can't let that happen. Neither can you." I grumbled, staring intently at my father and daring him with my cold gaze to say otherwise.

"I understand Alexis, but..."

"Do what you think is right." My mom said quickly, interrupting him. He stared at her with an appalled look on his face, but she completely ignored him.

"Follow what you know you're supposed to do." She encouraged, her eyes full of understanding and pain. I nodded and felt the tears dripping onto my bare forearms. I knew what I had to do. There was no escaping it. I had to change the past, and I had to erase myself. It would be like I had never existed...

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(A/N) geez, this is a really short chapter O.o but I wanted to make it short because I wanna be able to squeeze in enough chapters to make this book NOT be considered a "short story" xD since the first one isn't really that much of a short story, I didn't want this one to be either :P so hope you enjoyed this midget chapter, and I shall update ASAP.