A Twist Of Time

twenty

"Glad you finally came. I wasn't expecting you would."

"Of course I will. If I want to get out of here, then this is my only choice."

We were walking in the back garden of the palace, our hands behind our backs, listening to each other's voices blending in with the sound of the rustling grass. The both of us made our way outside the banquet in a manner that you could actually mistake us for a real couple; which was actually something positive considering that we were faking a relationship in front of his friends.

"Do you—do you really want to go home?"

I bit on my lip, my eye looking downwards. "Yes. But I don't know how."

Sergio sighed. "Neither do I."

After a few moments of dead silence, I spoke up. "What are you going to investigate me on? I thought this was an interrogation."

"That's it. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go back home."

"You already know. I want to. There's nothing more I want to do. I miss my family. I miss Mom, I miss my annoying chemistry professor, I miss everything."

"If that's the case, then I could let you go. I could, but I won't."

"Why not?" I asked. I tried not to sound as annoyed as I really was.

"I just don't want to."

"You can't just keep me here like some sort of animal in a zoo when I have a life years and years away from now," I retorted, bitterly laughing.

"I'm not! We are in World War 2. You get out there and you will get your brains shot. You will die. If I let you out there, you will get harmed."

"I can handle myself!"

He groaned. "Excuse me, but if you're from another year, then how are you going to get back? Time travel? Does that even exist?"

That's when I thought—shit. He was right. Even if I had the chance to get out of here, I wouldn't have anywhere else to stay in until 2016 possibly. I'll be more than 90 years old by then. Time travel doesn't exist. But how did I get here?

"I don't know anymore, Sergio," I murmured, shaking my head. "I miss the feeling of my family so much. I miss them. I miss my home, my bad days, my annoying locker, that one kid in the hallways who always greets me, the polluted air of the city, everything. I miss everything."

And in an unexpected manner, I started crying, my footsteps stopping. Thinking about the people I left behind, all the people who I cared about, was the only thing that could make a stone heart like mine break into pieces smaller than my chances of putting them back together.

Tears made their way down my cheek to my clean blouse, until I felt a warm hand touch my cheek. He was wiping them away, a sad look upon his face.

"You always have me."

My heart skipped.

"But you're not my family."

"But I can be. Valerie—there, I said it. Your name is Valerie. I'm just waiting for the moment that you consider me somebody who can help you."

"Are you sure?"

"I am more than sure. I will be forever happy to help you and to be at your service. You should know that."

I stayed silent. The eerie sound of the passing wind was the most serene sound that could possibly enchant the moment more than it already was at this time. We were standing in front of each other, his hand still on my face, my eyes on the ground.

"Valerie," he whispered. "You need to know that I care about you. I will be willing to be your family, I will be willing to guide you until you finally become at peace with yourself. I will not leave you, and I want to become the center of this hurricane of emotions you have right now."

That's when I finally regained the courage to look up to him. I noticed our slight height gap, him being maybe two inches taller than I was. My eyes had to meet the moonlight before they met his eyes, for they reflected them so strong that it gave a bedazzling charm.

"I'll let you try."

"And I promise I won't let you down."

I sniffed and wiped my own tears, his touch leaving my face. Though I could admit that I was still longing for it, I couldn't quite say how I felt. I couldn't put anything into words. I was speechless, my heart beating loudly, my face warm, and my hand was making its way towards his.

Wait, what?

I pulled my hand away and gave an awkward chuckle to cover it up amidst the fact that tears were still on my face. "Thank you, uh, for that. For promising that, you know, you'll never let me down. I hope that I finally find the courage to confide myself in you."

"And I wish that I may be the person who can help you. I wish that I can make you happy and joyful in your days here. Also, I promise to always call you Valerie from this day forward and not Raven Turner."

I laughed. Genuinely. "Fine. Good promise. So does that mean that you're dropping the case?"

"If it makes you calm, yes."

"Oh, thank you!" I hugged him hard. My forearms were on his shoulders while I squeezed him. "You just made my entire evening. Who knew you could actually be nice?"

"Who knew you were capable of choking me, small?" He smirked.

"I'm not small. I'm just a few inches shorter than you are." I pulled away and looked at him. He was laughing along with me, the gladest I've seen him in days. "I'll be damned. I could just kiss you right now."

When will Valerie fucking Helfon stop being the careless talker she is?

"Well, that was weird. I was just joking, uh, you see—"

"If you want to," he whispered, "then go ahead."