Warden's Fantasy Shorts

Time Shenanigans Pt2

This is more of the backlog.  The prompt was: Whenever someone reaches 18, they are given a sealed envelope with their last words inside. You just received yours and opened it, reading the words: "I always knew you were going to kill me."

Keep in mind that the timeline may be a bit wonky or hard to follow in this and if I continue.  If you have questions or want to point out any weirdness, feel free so I can clarify and / or correct.

TW: SUICIDE, DEATH

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The envelope was addressed to Jackie. Ella felt her eyes grow misty as she stared at it. It had to be a mistake, but it still felt like some horrible, cruel joke. It would have been Jackie's eighteenth birthday today, and the envelope... Ella took it inside with the rest of the mail, but couldn't bring herself to open it just yet. She didn't know if she ever would. Reading Jackie's last words would just hammer it home that she was dead.

She finally couldn't resist the curiosity, and opened the letter. One sentence: "I always knew you were going to kill me." Ella felt the tears finally spill over as she collapsed to the ground with an ugly, wracking sob.

"I'm sorry, I- I couldn't, I didn't mean to-" The apologies spilled from her mouth, unheard, unnecessary. Sunset found her numb, motionless, still clutching the paper. She snapped out of her daze, dragged herself to bed. Sleep did not elude her this time, the one time she wanted it to. She didn't want to dream, to see it again, but she did.

Ella almost didn't see the butterfly. Even worse, she almost didn't realize what it meant, until it lit upon the sundial outside the window. "Tempore- shit." She grabbed the clock and the large clock hand beside it, sprinting out the door. "Jackie- where are you?" she muttered to herself as she ran. "The warehouse- please let it be the warehouse..." Ella glanced at the clock in her hand, checking that the runes weren't smudged. Hopefully they were correct, because she wouldn't have time to change them. "Damn you, Tempore."

Ella made it to the warehouse, and followed the sound of voices to where Jackie and Tempore were. She didn't listen to what was said until Tempore looked directly at her and said: "Whatever made you think that I'm going to kill you?" Jackie turned around, saw Ella, opened her mouth to speak just as Ella jammed the clock in her hand. Everything froze– Jackie, the dust motes, the traffic outside the warehouse. Everything but Tempore and Ella.

"Shit."

"You have the wrong spell, little girl." Tempre stepped around Jackie to walk to Ella, then reached out to brush the butterfly frozen in midair next to her. The butterfly flapped a few times, then drifted to land on Tempore's shoulder. Ella lunged, clock hand raised, then froze. She couldn't move as Tempore cupped her cheek. "As much as I'd like to play with you, I need this to be over now."

Ella unfroze as Tempore smiled. She couldn't stop her momentum, tripped on a board, and as she fell, the clock hand plunged into Jackie's chest. Time unfroze, but Ella couldn't move. "Jackie, I'm so sorry Jackie. Please don't- Jackie!"

Ella bolted upright, breathing hard. Tears streamed down her face as she broke down sobbing. "Jackie- I didn't- I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry, please don't-" Another sob cut her off, and she continued to cry, calling her grief, her guilt, to the empty dark of her room. When the tears and sobs finally stopped, Ella went to the living room, knowing she wouldn't get to sleep again that night. She saw the dream journal sitting on the couch, and its butterfly patterned cover seemed to flutter in her tear-blurred vision. Seeing it, she felt a sudden rage. "Fucking piece of-" she grabbed the journal, threw it in the fireplace, burned it. As it burned, she felt that she needed to remember- something, but only realized what when the journal was gone. Another dream a few years ago, leading her to look for the journal in her future, not finding it. "Fuck, I've just- FUCK!"

She was writing a letter. I'm sorry. I made a mistake. The journal- it caused too much grief for me. I burned it. I forgot about my our first attempt at getting it back. I'm sorry to both of you. It's my fault. I can't forgive myself, but I can try to redeem myself. When I found the journal, some hobo a couple towns over (Watermill, I think) had it. Fat lot of good that'll do you, but it's the best I can do. I hope you find this letter, but I have my doubts (I never found it). I'd wish you luck, but I don't think it'll work, no matter what I do. I doubt I can change time, going up against the time Goddess, but I can always try.

Dawn found Ella motionless beside the fireplace, in a pool of blood, facing the garden, the butterflies.