The Time Hopper

Pompeii

I took off, holding tight onto Riley as we pushed through the crowds, sprinting as fast as I could. I shoved my other hand into my bag, grabbing my book. I knew it wouldn't work; when I was panicking I couldn't focus well enough to time travel, but it had been worth a go. I didn't dare look behind me to see if he was following, because catching his gaze could give him a chance to freeze me in place, and then it was over. I couldn't even think straight; was I sure that he knew who I was at this point? The quick answer was no, but the long answer was that it really wasn't worth the risk. 

You see, I had met Felix before in my travels in time, but the timelines would always correct themselves to how I percieved them. I didn't fully understand how it worked myself despite how many times Mr Consequences explained it, but I understood it as if I met someone for the first time when I was young, and then when I was older I went further back in time and met them then, they would forget about me by the time my younger self met them for the first time, even if it was separated by mere days.  However, if the person in question had travelled in time, then they would have dual memories, and wouldn't forget me even if the timeline tried to corrected. 

Whether or not Felix had travelled in time, I didn't know, and I also couldn't remember if he would know me anyway. At some point, I had started writing in a notebook all the little details so I could keep track of these things, but like most things it had lost its novelty in a few days and I had abandoned it. Goddamn it, why did I have the attention span of a magpie? 

All those thoughts flashed through my head as me and Riley tore down the road, taking a sharp corner to continue. There was an alley immediately after and I turned again, dragging him with me a few feet in until I spotted a gap between two dumpsters. I shoved him towards it and he got the idea, ducking in and making himself small enough that I would have room. I scrabbled into the gap with little regard for either of us, squashing myself in until we couldn't be seen and I was basically sat on Riley's lap. He seemed to understand how drastic the situation was, though, as he didn't push me off or complain or make any noise at all aside from his deep breaths. Moving quickly but calmly, I pulled out the book and grabbed his hand, closing my eyes and counting backwards from ten so I could focus well enough to travel and then-

We were in the middle of an open prairie in America, mid nineteenth century, and luckily Felix hadn't found me. I staggered away from Riley, sitting down heavily as I worked to smother the panic in my chest. Riley stood up, brushing down his clothes and using his hands to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked around. 

"Okay, firstly, where are we? And secondly, what was that all about?" He asked me, brusque and more than a little confused. 

"American prairie in the mid nineteenth century." I answered him, running a hand through my red hair with a relieved sigh. 

"We were running from that tall man, right? Why? Who is he? How'd you know him?" So he wasn't going to give that up, that was just great. 

"Yes, we were running from the tall man, because he is a very dangerous man who wants to hurt me. He's a mage with at least a dash of giants blood in him who is an enemy of me and the other children of the elements. I know him because he has been hunting me for my entire life. Any other questions?" I half snapped, as I always got a little grumpy when I'd had a scare. 

"Yeah, actually. Why is he hunting you?" I patted the ground opposite me, half considering taking him back to Mr Consequences so he could explain all this to him. But eventually I decided against it; asking the old man for help too often was a good way to crush my fragile ego. 

"Ok, so you know how Mr Consequences is really old, like, really really old? Well there's someone else, just as old, who everyone calls Obsidian. He, or she, or it, no one can tell, is obsessed with controlling all of the elements. Its why he hunts me and the other children; he wants to turn us to his side and use us to rule the world. Felix works for him, and I've only ever met him in passing, really. A general rule of thumb is to run like the devil is on your heels whenever you see him, because in a way, he is." I told him, checking off the main points on my fingers. Huh, this explaining thing was easier than I thought, no wonder all Mr Consequences did all do was sit around and explain things. Still, it was pretty damn boring, going over something I already knew. Best to leave it to him in the future, methinks. Riley fell quiet for a moment, mulling it over, before he responded.