The Outsiders: Before My Time Part III

Bye Bye Goldie, Red, and Candy

Goldie's POV
April 1966

Ever since Mom found out about us and we found out about her, we seemed to have gotten closer. She seemed much more relaxed, giggly, and funny. I think she finally let herself relax because she knew that she wasn't alone anymore. However, around the boys, she usually stayed out of their bubbles and hung around the sidelines. She was going by the "don't speak unless spoken to" rule.

All three of us started going with Mom on little trips to the secluded grass field she arrived in. It was outside of the heart of town, only a single road traveling through it, but from the amount of time we were there we never saw another car pass by.

Mom told us that her Time Machine was ripped apart by animals, and it needed every single piece in order to work. Our job was to help her find every little screw and nut that originally was on the Machine. This was our biggest chance of being able to go back home. Probably our only chance. Once we collected as much as we could, then we would put it in a bag and bring it home where she would try to secretly repair the Time Machine, which was hidden under Dad's bed. It never worked, so we knew there were more parts in the field we needed to find. I wish we had a metal detector.

We would all disappear for hours at a time, and the guys started to notice. They would always ask us where we were going, but Mom always found some excuse that didn't provoke anymore questions.

During one of these trips, I asked Mom what she thought about hypothetically going back to save Dad's parents if we ever get the Time Machine to work again. I saw how hurt Dad and his brothers are, all the pain they have endured following the devastating accident. The rumors that have spread around town like honey on bread were haunting. Mom told me that we can't interfere, their deaths have to happen. It right then that I learned how this tragedy is an essential part of shaping my family into what I know and love. Although terrible, they always had to die, so Dad's emotional growth can grow in the way it was meant to. And this struggle is a key element in what propelled Mom into traveling back in time. Without her, there would be no us.

April rolled around again, around the same time when we traveled here in the first place. I can't believe be its been an entire year already. I feel like I am running out of time. I wondered if I could age while being here. Probably, but it would be hanging if I didn't age until 2038 came organically. A lot of people would probably freak out though.

We were scavenging through the dirt and patches of long, untouched grass when the wind started to pick up. The warm wind also picked up some dust so we were rubbing our eyes from the sudden stinging. The wind was blowing more and more, and started to blow in a circle.

"Is this a tornado?" Red asked through a squint.

"No, I don't think so," Mom said, but she was clearly confused as to what was happening.

A bright white light flashed and made us all cover our eyes and turn away. The light went away as fast as it came, but when I opened them my vision was blocked by floating colored orbs that I tried to blink away.

"What was that?" Candy asked.

We turned back and Mom gasped. We suddenly saw a teenage girl sitting in the grass. She was tan, blonde, and she must have been about Mom's age. She was holding what looked like our time machine with a metal band around her head and the "T" shaped bar between her legs.

"Who's that?" Red whispered.

"Lillian?!" Mom dropped everything she was holding.

"Bri!" The girl shouted and the two ran towards each other and slammed into a hug.

"Who's that?" Red asked louder as we stood around awkwardly.

"I missed you so much." Mom sounded like she was going to cry. I couldn't tell if they were tears of joy, or of sadness.