Through Time and Space: A Love Story

Chapter Seven: A Clean Slate

   "So the point of this snow globe was to show me who was meant to be my soul mate?" Maeve asked.
   "That was the intention," Jenos replied.
   "Why didn't you just tell me instead? You said you could answer any question I had. Can't you see the future?"
   "It isn't as simple as you think, Maeve," Seris spoke up. "Jenos and I can both see the future, and even we do not always know what will happen. You see, time is like an infinitely growing tree." Seris began painting a holographic image. "As time goes on, the past continues to become a part of the trunk. It is everything that has already happened. The present and the future are the tree's branches. There are always many of them, each path containing a different outcome. Our actions determine what path we go down. But what of the other paths? What becomes of them? They turn into the tree's roots. They help to sustain the tree by existing. Without those alternate timelines, time couldn't exist."
   "Once again, that makes too much sense," Maeve said dumbfounded.
   "Sometimes, our actions changing the outcome of the future can be a good thing," Jenos said. "But there are times when our choices can have terrible consequences. The humans call it 'the Butterfly Effect'."
   "Doesn't that have something to do with going back in time and killing a butterfly affecting the future?" Maeve asked. They both nodded. "Time is a confusing concept. I don't know how the two of you manage to handle such vast knowledge. I know my tiny brain certainly couldn't handle all of that information." Jenos and Seris broke out laughing.
   "Count your blessings, dear child," Seris said patting Maeve's head. They could hear voices out in the hall. Who could it be? Maeve wasn't expecting anyone. Then Ash walked into the room. Maeve's hand immediately reached for a knife. But before she could throw it, Jenos grabbed her wrist.
   "Behave," he snapped. The pain from his tight grip hurt so much that she dropped the knife. She chose the wrong hand to pick it up with. The look on Ash's face made Maeve regret even trying to hurt her. Ash may have broken her heart, but she was still the same sweet and caring girl Maeve had come to know.
   "Fine," she grumbled. Ash looked like she wanted to cry, which hurt Maeve even more. It was extremely rare for Ash to cry. But the conflict between her seemed to have caused it to happen more, which made Maeve feel guilty. She didn't like being the reason such a strong-willed girl was crying more.
   "How are you holding up?" she asked.
   "I'm doing just fine," Maeve said in a sour tone. "No thanks to you." Okay, that was a bit too harsh, even for Maeve. Ash grabbed a chair and sat next to her bed.
   "I need to be honest with you," she told Maeve. "I didn't realize this at first, but Helen was manipulating me. I told her about us and she got jealous. She took advantage of me so I'd get back with her. I thought she was sincere, but she doesn't love me; she just hates you so much that she had to piss you off."
   "And what makes you so sure of that?" Maeve asked in an accusing tone.
   "After you ran out yesterday, Lian snapped at me for what happened," she admitted. "Helen took the blame, saying everything was her fault. Lian had Khan and Fernando take her to solitary and ordered 50 lashes." Maeve's jaw dropped.
   "Lian punished someone by flogging?" she asked incredulously. Ash nodded slowly.
   "When I woke up this morning, Khan came with a message from her," Ash continued. "She asked if I was still willing to give her another chance at a relationship. That was a dead giveaway that she didn't love me like she said she did. After the whole ordeal yesterday, you would think she'd feel too guilty to ask that sort of thing. The fact that she did proves that she didn't care what happened to anyone. All she cares about is pissing you off."
   "But why should I forgive you?" Maeve asked. She told her about the dream of Aphrodite. The goddess' words had the same impact on Maeve that they did on Ash. When she was finally done, Maeve was in tears.
   "It's up to you if you give me a chance at being your friend again," Ash concluded. Maeve was quiet for a while. When she had calmed herself down, she finally spoke.
   "I can try," she said trying not to cry again. "But it will be a while before I fully forgive you."
   "I understand," Ash said. "I'll leave you alone now." She left the room without another word. Not long after she left, Skye stepped out of the shadows.
   "This conflict between you two is so fucking childish and it needs to stop," she said harshly.
   "How long have you been there?" Maeve asked. "And what right do you have to decide that?"
   "How long I've been here isn't important," Skye retaliated. "But what is important is that you need to stop being so rude to Ash. People get their heart broken all the time. I know this personally. When you tried being an immature little brat and hurt yourself, you hurt Ash even more. She wanted to bargain with Death so she could trade her life as long as you got to live. Kinessa had to knock her to the floor just to stop her." Maeve's heart dropped like a stone.
   "Ash... tried to.... kill herself? Because of me?" Maeve was trying her best not to break down again. Ash felt so guilty that she wanted to sacrifice herself if it meant she'd get to live. Ash's love was real and Maeve was too blinded by anger to see it.
   " I told you this was stupid," Skye scoffed. "You're so young and stupid, hardly knowing what love really is." She turned to leave, but before she could walk out of the room, she looked back at Maeve. "Think about that the next time you decide to act like a bitch to Ash. You're lucky that girl loves you enough to deal with those harsh words of yours." Maeve was completely silent long after Skye had shut the door, her words burned into her mind. Ash had tried to kill herself out of love. Ash, the War Machine. The same Ash who fearlessly led the charge against the Resistance. The same Ash that stood tall and proud on the scorched battlefields littered with corpses. Maeve's overreaction pushed Ash so far over the edge that she felt as if she wasn't worthy of Maeve's love, the only thing she truly lived for during life after the war.
   The guilt was so overpowering that she had to grab the nearest trash can to throw up. With her stomach empty, she burst into tears. Ash may have broken her heart, but Maeve had broken Ash's soul. The thought of it was suffocating. Why did she have to be so stupid? Ash didn't deserve this at all. Seris and Jenos both stood at her side to comfort her. Seris held her close, stroking her hair and back until she finally calmed down.
   "What am I gonna do?" she finally asked.
   The best thing to do is the same thing I told Ash: follow your heart. Love always knows what's best. It will never lead you astray so long as you trust in it fully. It was Aphrodite. She was speaking to Maeve. Her advice was sound, but Maeve didn't know the first thing about listening to her heart. It was always confused, never knowing what it truly wanted. The only things she did know how to listen to were her hormones, which were always acting up.
   "Perhaps it would be best to start by learning to forgive her," Seris said. "It won't be easy, and it certainly won't happen overnight, but if you value her friendship, it's the best place to start."
   "I want to do that, but it's just.... it's too complicated," Maeve whined. There were so many thoughts contradicting each other inside her head that she started to feel dizzy. Being Ash's friend again sounded like a good idea, but she also wanted to feel Ash's tongue inside her pussy again. She wanted to love her and give their relationship a second shot. At the same time, she had just agreed to give Jenos a chance and didn't want to hurt his feelings. It was all so maddening. Maybe she just needed to sleep and clear her head. It seemed like the best option so she didn't go completely insane.
   "I-I think I just need some time alone," she told them.
   "Take all the time you need, sweetheart," Seris reassured her. She kissed Maeve on the head and left with Jenos. Fighting back tears, Maeve closed her eyes to sleep.