The Time Thieves

Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

28 May, 2018

Frank slowly walked out of school. One day closer to summer vacation, he thought to himself. You see, Frank was a really smart person. But he still hated school. And he was an introvert. Yes, he would just like to be in his room, be alone in his room, and read all day long. He was never really a social person. Always distant. Frank Carter was just an average 16 year old boy, that gets picked on every now and then. Suddenly though, he heard someone yell behind him.''Hey Carter!'' Frank turned around. And standing there was... James Anderson. The rudest person in the school. Even worse, Anderson hates Frank for no reason. He always, always bullies him, whenever he gets the chance to. Frank stands up for himself every now and then though, which is scary for him because he's quite shy. ''What do you want, Anderson?'' Frank mumbled. He was definitely not in the mood. He just wants this school year to end, so he can finally rest in peace for a month or two. Anderson ran up to him. ''Do my homework.'' Frank just stopped walking. Do his homework? Do his homework? That made him laugh. Frank was shy, but you can't get him to do your homework. Again, Frank wasn't in the mood for any fighting. ''No.'' With that, James Anderson punched him, right in his face. This didn't alarm Frank. He just ran away. He was really fast. The problem is... He took a wrong turn, and quickly got lost. Before he even realized he was lost, he was in the middle of a forest. Luckily, he didn't hear Andersons' shouts anymore. But where was he? Suddenly, a voice again.

''Lost?''

This made Frank turn around really fast. He was scared, until he saw it was a girl. Well, a girl that looked harmless at least. ''U-uh ye-a-yeah, do you know where I can get out of here?'' Frank didn't have much confidence for some reason. He hoped the girl would just give him directions, so he could go home. The girl was quiet for some time. She was observing Frank for a few minutes. That made him nervous though. Luckily, she spoke up again after a few minutes. ''Why, of course! But first, could I also ask you a question?'' ''U-uh.. I guess so.. W-why not?'' The girl smiled sweetly at him before asking her question. This calmed him down for some reason. ''What do you think about time travel? Do you think it exists?'' Frank frowned. This seemed to be a really weird and random question, Frank just hoped she wasn't some kind of maniac. But he needed directions, so he decided to answer. ''Time travel? I guess it could somehow be possible in the future. Uh yeah... So uh.. How do I get out of here?'' He finished his sentence within 10 seconds. ''Hm. You really want to go. To your uh... abusive home.'' Frank froze. ''Can you just tell me how I get out of here? Or I'll find the way myself, thanks.'' The girl frowned. ''I-I'm sorry for making you feel uneasy, but don't you wish you could be more?'' Frank turned around, to go. He spoke out one last sentence before planning to go : ''I don't like stalkers. And yes I do wish I could be more, but that's impossible. Bye weirdo.'' He was just about to run away, but the girl yelled in a helpless tone. ''Wait! I-i-i- you could be more! Hear me out, please.'' Something about the way she spoke out the word please, made Frank stop, and slowly turn around. ''W-what is it you want? I just want to go home, please, I'm already in trouble for being late.'' The girl answered. She simply said ''Time travel. You... You do believe in it. And you can join me and my friends, and you can time travel. Oh please, just give it a shot. Please, I can see on your face,I can see that you're a believer. We matter. You can be important, like us. Almost no one believes anymore.''

No. Frank was so confused. He got a headache. And he gets headaches when he's confused. But this also made him angry. All he did was ask for directions home, not a lesson on time travelling and believing! Frank sensed the girl was telling the truth. But he was angry. Oh, he was so angry for some reason. He snapped, secretly regretting it the second he spoke.

''No! Screw you! All I wanted was directions!'' The girl seemed to give up, and she started to care less, clearly insulted. She spoke one last time, slowly turning around to leave. ''Fine. You get out of the forest if you take a turn left, and go straight on.'' I will be waiting here tomorrow, the same time as right now. So...'' She paused. She looked at Frank one last time, with a small smile on her face. ''It's your choice,'' she shrugged. ''You can continue with your worthless life, or you can become someone who matters. The clock is ticking. Tick tock, tick tock.'' Frank closed his eyes in shock, for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes, the mysterious girl was gone.