Vacation

12

Now Todd was standing right in front of me. I have no idea what to do. Should I fear him for how impossible that night was? Or should I worship him for being the one to stand up for me? I couldn't answer these questions immediately so I just sat there watching his every move.

"So I guess it's because of you that we can no longer read the clocks?" Todd ignored Tiffany's comment.

"Hope, have you figured it out yet?" He was referring to that night. That night he told me one day I would understand.

"Not really. Something's are still a little confusing. How do you have the power of time and what's Tiffany's? What exactly are mine? Many things still don't make sense to me." I thought this but the candy was still in my throat. Only hot tears raced down my face and my lips moved without a single taste of sound touching them. Then all at once it was gone.

"How did you do that?!" I asked still slightly scared of the power.

"I sped up only the time around the candy allowing it to dissolve in no time.

"Oh." I whispered as if the answer was obvious.

"What did you want to say before?"

"I was saying how something's are still a little confusing. How do you have the power of time and what's Tiffany's? What exactly are mine? Many things still don't make sense to me." I couldn't stand to look into his deep dark eyes so I kept focus on the ground.

"Look at me Hope." I hesitantly looked up. "You're not all you think you are. You're one of the most powerful children out there. You age much slower than most children, that's my fault. You see, you're the daughter of Father Time and Mother Nature. We don't know your powers just yet. You're only 800 years old."

"Why are you telling her this Todd? We had a promise to keep it from her." Tiffany looked mad at him but didn't move.

"Only you wanted to keep it from her. You wanted to keep it because you're scared. You just won't admit that you're scared."

"Wait, so why do people think I have a second life?" I budged in hoping not to get yelled at.

"A second life? What is there to make people think you have a second life?" Tiffany and Todd looked at me but only Todd asked.

"There was a statue of someone that looked identical to me." I looked at Todd refusing to see Tiffany's face.

Todd turned to look at Tiffany. She pointed her finger to the door and they both walked out. They closed the door behind them so I could not even hear a mutter through the door. By the time they came back Tiffany was almost in tears and Todd was still calm. His single streak of gray hair hidden in the black fell to cover one gray eye. Tiffany's bright green eyes were surrounded with red and the freckles were blending into the red sorrow on her face.

"This, not even I wanted to tell you, was a promise your mother and I wanted to keep but now we know we cannot." Todd said calm and slowly regretting every word.

"What are you saying?" I looked up at him switch glances from him and Tiffany.

"You... had... a sister." Tiffany cried between deep hard breaths. "She..." She couldn't finish and ran out the room.

"Had? What happened?"

"We don't know. One day she disappeared not long after you were born. Every time you asked where Faith went we agreed to tell you she was your imaginary friend who went on a trip." I remembered, those were all lies to help them forget as well as I.

"So I didn't have an imaginary friend Faith? That was all you two tricking me?" I asked starting to get angry.

"We wanted you to grow up differently than Faith hoping you wouldn't end up missing like her. That's why your mother was stricter on you. That's why you traveled often. It was all in hopes that you would be safe and stay."

"You really don't have any idea where she is do you?" I felt sorry for them. Losing your first child and having to lie to the other one in hopes to keep her safe. That's pitiful.

"No idea. One day on her birthday she disappeared." The door reopened with Tiffany walking in all fixed up.

"Enough talking, the trucks are ready. Let us go." Tiffany was now confident with her head held high.

"Where are we going?" I asked hoping not to go to the anti-power group's headquarters.

"You will soon see."