I'll Be Back

Five

I sat up, still not falling asleep. I guess I won't be any time soon. Maybe I should text future Nana, since it worked last time, and hopefully it would work again.

Hey, Nana.

I though for a second before typing again. I didn't know what to say. In these recent hours, I haven't really known at all about anything or what was happening. Maybe I could ask her about John.

When you were younger and Mimi was too, did she ever live with anyone else?

I crossed my fingers as the message was sent, then delivered, and after a minute, it notified me the message had been read. Nana began typing. I wanted to yell out in triumph, but the Nana of this timeline would probably kick me out of the house.

Why'd you wake me up, you crazy lass! It's late here! Anyways, yes, I recall Mimi living with someone. John was his name Something close to it. I can't remember- he died somewhere near 1981.

I stared at the screen, disbelief washing over my face. One reason was because the time was 11:27 here, and when she sent it the time was also 11:27. We're living at the exact same time, just different dates. And the second, that John would be dead when he was near 30. I decided to venture on more, and I asked more questions.

How did he die? And sorry , I can't sleep. It's 11:30 here too.

I waited for a second as the message stayed delivered, but not read. It took a minute or so, but it was read.

He got shot by a fan from behind, I believe. Now come on, kiddo! Let me sleep!

I'm kidding. You get your sleep.
I'll always be here as long as your phone works.
-Nana

Wait- fan? It confused me for a moment until it finally dawned on me. John was John Lennon. John Lennon of the Beatles. I couldn't believe it- I really couldn't. I calmed down for a second. I didn't want to bother Nana any more, so I wrote down a few questions to ask her in the morning. I couldn't use the internet, since it hadn't been invented yet, I guess somehow the texts work because they hadn't gotten delivered until the future or some kind of messed up crap. I turned it off, trying to save the little battery I had left. I could probably charge it off my laptop. I lay down on my bed. I wasn't sure if I was relieved, I guess I was settled then, for the reason why I had never seen John. And I needed to sleep anyways, I have a day of research ahead of me.

Damnit, I can't use the internet! I face-palmed myself and rolled over to my side, facing the wall, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

I was in a small room that was oddly familiar. It was painted pink with a small bed nearby and stuffed animals all over the place. I squinted at a picture on the other side of the wall, but even if I got close I could not make out what the picture was of. I looked around another second and I noticed the hard pattering of rain on the window. Hearing voices below me I decided to investigate. I walked out of the room, immediately bumping into someone. I fell back into the room, hitting my back. "Hey, what're you doing, little dork?" I stared up to see an oddly familiar face. I couldn't talk. I slipped around him and walked down the stairs that were right behind the room. This was all too familiar. "Hey, dumbass, I asked you something!" I spun around to see the tall guy again. The voice- the actions- It was Seth. What was he doing here? I couldn't control myself yet again, like the dream of my future self. I walked down the stairs more, clutching onto the railing. I heard talking coming from another room. "Are you sure about this, Pete?" Asked a woman's voice. "I'm sure, Carla. We need to get to the airport anyways, my mother is there." I heard a sigh come from the woman. "All right, Pete. Here, we need to go say goodbye." I heard a chair scrape and keys jingle. "Kids!" She yelled. This time I walked over, uncontrolled. "We're leaving for the airport, Tiny." Said the woman, picking me up and pecking me on the cheek. I struggled a bit in her arms. "Be good for Seth, okay? Daddy and I will be back soon." I nodded, that was not in my control. I didn't want to be good for him, I hated him! She put me down and my 'dad' picked me up and did the same. I heard them talk to Seth, but it was out of earshot. I stood around, unsure of myself, but my body was back in my control. Of course, my mouth and vocal chords weren't. "Mommy! Daddy! Don't go!" I suddenly wailed. My high-pitched voice surprised even me, of all people. "We have to go get Nana, Tiny!" I thought I heard Seth snicker beside me, which made me boil with anger. "We'll be fine." My 'mother' promised, and walked out of the house. My 'father' stayed back a minute. "And I know I can trust you, Seth?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised. Seth nodded and picked me up. I wanted to scream cusses at him but I couldn't speak, still. "Of course I will, dad." He said. I stared into his face, and I could swear I saw a glint of hatred in his eyes.

I woke up, gasping, drenched in sweat. Sunlight filtered in through the half-open blinds on the other side of the room. I looked around. Was it 2013 again? I tiptoed out of the room, wanting desperately to be greeted by the familiar aged Mary LaCoupe, not this one of 1956, an era decades before I was born. My head spun with the confusion of the dream still, and I stood up off of my bed, staggering for a second. I walked out the room, regaining my balance. I heard talking below. What time was it? I quickly clicked on my phone. 9:58. Man, I slept in. Maybe Nana was watching stuff on TV. I slipped on a tee and jeans. Just to be safe, I peeked down the stairs to see if Nana was really watching TV. With Mimi dropping in so suddenly yesterday, I didn't want to give away my secret. I saw Nana sitting with two other figures. Seriously? Mimi and John visit every single day, almost. "Nice of you to join us!" Exclaimed John, noticing me. I really do not care if in less than 10 years he's going to be a part of a famous band, I still hate the kid. I sighed and rolled my eyes, stepping down the rest of the stairs. "Roxanne, you want anything?" asked Nana. "No, I usually don't eat breakfast." I mumbled as I walked by, peering at the trio sitting at the table. I sat down on the couch of the main room, which had a black and white TV in it. Mimi had some white dress-thing on, and Nana just had a shirt and pants. John, however, his hair was slicked back and he had some leather jacket. I scoffed at it as I sat alone on the couch. Probably going 'bird' watching. I was amused by my joke. "Thanks, Mary," I heard John finally speak up after a few minutes of their quiet chatter. I heard him stand up. "I'm going over to Eric's house for a bit, then to my mum's. She's helping us with banjo. We're planning something." He said. I then heard the front door open and close. "That kid," I barely heard Mimi say. "I keep telling him if I buy him a guitar it'll take him nowhere." She sighed. Nana chuckled a bit. So I was wrong, I guess.

I got up, tired of just sitting there, doing nothing. Walking by the table again I exhaled. "I suppose I should leave too," I overheard Mimi remark. "Heaven knows when he'll be back from there. He's been over at Eric Griffith's house so often, I tend to wonder what he does there." Mimi seemed to stand there for a moment, lost in thought. "Thank you for having us over, Mary." She turned to me. "It was nice seeing you, Roxanne." And with that she glided out of the door as if she had done it hundreds of times. Nana looked at me. "So you don't eat breakfast?" I shrugged. "After awhile it became a habit. Don't worry, though. I do eat." she nodded. Staring around the room and tapping her foot for a minute she finally said something. "Want to listen to some records or something? I don't just have the Rock Around the Clock single, I have some Little Richard and Eddie Cochran." she laughed a bit. I really was not the greatest house guest. Granted, I'm not really a 'guest' anymore. It was nearly noon now, and I had no idea of what else to do. "Sure." I finally replied. She slipped out a Eddie Cochran record and set it onto the player. Of all the records Nana had in her house Eddie Cochran's were the ones I rarely listened to.

As the song played I watched Nana, smiling and bobbing along to it. I was quite enjoying it, forgetting the last time I had listened to one of his albums. Nana kept putting new records in the moment the previous one was done, and before we knew it, it was nearly 10:30. We found that out when Nana was dancing, which she had started doing about 5 records in, and she took a look at her watch. "Wow, it's late!" She exclaimed, immediately stopping the player and shooing me upstairs. I really did not mind, I had been getting tired anyways.

As I crawled into my bed I was actually afraid to fall asleep in fear of having another dream like the one last night.

I tried to stay awake as long as I could, but drowsiness overcame me.

I sat in the backseat of a car. The seats were leather, the interior was a dark grey. "I am still unsure about this , Pete." Said a voice from one of the two in the front. My parents. "Oh come on, honey. It's okay! I got this!" Pete said , taking his eyes off the road that I could not see for half a second, maybe. "Pete! Watch the road!" Screeched Carla, and the tires squealed as I was thrown to the side of the car as it spun out and crashed. I could move around, I was not harmed, but neither of my parents' bodies moved. I tried nudging them, but they would not wake up. I thought I was back at the house... With Seth.... But this was a dream, this was in my parents' point of view, I guess. Sirens flooded my hearing and sight as the flashing blue and red surrounded the car. "Are they alive?" I heard a deep voice ask. "They could be. Hank, Polly?" Said another voice. Two paramedics came into the car and pulled out Pete and Carla, not noticing me. "Hey! I'm stuck here, too!" I screamed as the shut the doors to the car, locking them. I pounded on the windows, staring at the emergency vehicles slowly pulling away. "No!" I cried.