Out of Time

Consequences

CONSEQUENCES

"Hey honey," Zay's mom's voice cut his train of thoughts. Before he realized his mother was giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How was work"

"Uh good... interesting."

"Did Maeve enjoy her first day?"

"Uh, not really sure. She and I worked a lot closer than I thought and she got some top-level clearance for her first day," Zay chatted, not really focusing.

"That's nice," his mother said, she looked down and saw his bag on the floor. "Zay! How many times to I have to tell you, put your bag in its right place, not on the floor."

She picked it up and threw it in a hole that was located right next to the portal. A door closed and, on the screen, next to the hole a picture of his bag appeared then shut off and the door to the hole opened again, his bag gone.

"Sorry," Zay said and fell onto the couch. His mother walked away muttering under her breath. Zay stuck his hand onto his pocket and pulled out his list, his eyes scanned the list and stopped. He sat up butterflies in his stomach.

"Hey mom, where's Sam?" Zay asked nervously. On his list was written, 'Sam, dog - Rottweiler.' The problem was he didn't remember having a dog.

"Sorry honey, what'd you asked," his mother's voice rang from around the corner.

"Where's Sam, you know, our Rottweiler," Zay asked louder this time.

"We don't have a dog, Zay. I know you want one but we're not getting until you can prove you can take care of it," his mom shouted back. Despair fell through Zay.

"So, we don't have a dog?"

"NO, we do NOT have a dog!" anger then suddenly filled the place of despair and sadness. This was getting annoying, the stress and the cluelessness of not remembering. How DARE Askel go back in time and start changing everything. Affecting the present, affecting others' lives, affecting HIS life, did Askel just not care! Zay stood up suddenly and stomped off upstairs.

In his room on a screen next to his desk he punched in a number and then pressed the picture of his bag. A section of the wall opened, and his bag lay there. He grabbed it and snatched the journal out of it. He threw his journal on the floor and opened the journal. He read and read the journal until there was nothing left he hadn't read. Based off the journal Askel was doing something and that something was changing everything. He was being an inconsiderate jerk Zay thought angrily.

Zay then sighed and leaned back against his desk chair. He looked at his list and started naming people again. He tried not to look at the few people he had written back in VISUM Labs, he didn't want any more bad news. When he thought he was done, he heard his mother calling from downstairs.

"Dinner!"

Zay stood up and carried himself downstairs and into the dining room. His father was there, he had already got his food and was eating away. Zay's mother handed him plate when she saw him. Hers, he noticed, already had food on it from the food collection. Zay walked over to the what looked like a microwave and stuck his empty plate inside. He pressed a few buttons then opened the door and pulled out his plate which was now covered with vegetables and a chicken leg. He glanced at it. He really didn't feel like eating but he moved to sit down at the table.

"May I eat in my room please?" Zay hopeful, however knowing the answer in advance.

"No, you may not, we eat dinner as a family," his mother said, his father nodded beside her, his mouth too full to speak. Zay's mom gave a look of disgust and rolled her eyes. "Honey try to take smaller bites please."