Twenty Six Sixty Nine

Chapter 1

     I opened my eyes, blinking a few times as they adjusted to the darkness of the room. Yawning widely, I sat up and stared mindlessly at the clock. It was 6:57. I must've missed my alarm. Shaking off the haze in my brain, I swung my feet onto the fluffy carpet and strolled over to the window. There was something about the early morning that I was strangely drawn to; maybe it was the frost clinging to the rooftops or the early morning dog walkers. Fun fact: more dog walkers live in D.C. than any other city. I stared out the window pane, my warm breath fogging up the glass as I gazed at the ground below

     My footsteps fell lightly on the carpet as I ventured downstairs. Mom was gone--probably at work, wherever that was. She said that was classified information that she'd never be able to share with me. Oh well. Having a Secret Service agent for a mother meant that there were a lot of secrets in my household.

     My father was already up, hunching over his dearest computer at the kitchen table. I knew better than to disturb him--he was in "the zone". Which basically occurs when he has an idea he claims is profound, pursues it for a couple dozen pages, then scraps it completely in favor of another ingenious idea. He calls himself an author. I call him a starving writer.

     I absentmindedly poured a bowl of cereal and sat down across from him at the oak table, observing his expression. His lips were pursed, turned into a frown that sucked the energy from his face. His hair was a mess, flopped over his eyes in disarray. I worried about him sometimes. I worried about Mom too. Why wouldn't I? Dad was constantly fretting over his failing stories and Mom had a rather dangerous job. At least I thought she did, because she never spoke about it and I never knew where she was.

     Suddenly, Dad looked up. I returned his gaze and looked at him, directly into his eyes, and discovered that something else was there. Some other power that I'd never seen before, something much more powerful than could dwell inside human eyes. It was sucking me in, merging my own soul with its. The outside world faded away and I was left alone with the unknown force, floating through a place I'd never before discovered.

     Everything around me was blue. Electric blue. And the only sound my ears could pick up was a shrill, piercing siren. Occasionally, I would hear something else--voices. Whispering all around me. They were oddly familiar, but I was unable to place who they belonged to.

     I have no idea how long I spent in that tunnel. Minutes, maybe hours. But when I emerged, I was back in the kitchen, sitting where I had been before. But Dad wasn't at the table. Instead, he stood across from me, leaning against the refrigerator. He was staring at me with intense emotion. I'd seen that glare many times before--the first time I lied to him, the time when I skipped school. When I saw that look, I could tell something was off.

     "I'm incredibly disappointed, Elena. I thought you were mature enough to know not to do something so stupid," Dad stared at me, expecting a response.

     "Wha-what? I didn't do anything, Dad! I was just eating cereal, see?" I gestured towards my bowl. It wasn't there. "Wait...it was just there! I promise...I promise..."

     My Fruit Loops were gone. They'd just been here, and then I went through that strange tunnel of blue nothingness, and they'd vanished. I suddenly realized another different: the sun. Pre-tunnel, it hadn't even risen, but now it was streaming through the windows. How had this happened? What had changed?

     I looked up at Dad. He was still standing there, leaning against the fridge as if I hadn't responded to him. It was almost as if he'd glitched and was just waiting for me to say something else, like a video game or something.

     "I-I'm sorry, Dad," I had no idea what he thought I did, but I was going to apologize anyway, "I didn't think of the consequences."

     My father just stood there for a bit, grim faced. Then he spoke, "I'm glad you're aware of what you did. You could've killed someone, driving that car without any experience."

     WAIT. This was the time when I had (foolishly) driven Ron's car to the game last year! Dad had found out about it in the way that parents always do and taken away my phone for three months. Not only that, but it had really damaged my relationship with my father. It took months for him to finally trust me again. I'd made a colossal mistake that time. But why was I here again?

     I glanced back at Dad. He was completely still, as if frozen. Slowly, I approached him, waving my hand in front of his face. Nothing. No response.

     "Dad? Dad! Wake up!" I screamed at him.

     He didn't respond to me. He really was just gone. I crumpled to the floor. Nothing made sense--why was I back in last year? Why did I have to re-experience this particular moment? And how long would I be here, frozen in time like this? Forever?

     Tears welled up in my eyes and burst their banks, streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks. As I wept, I felt a change in the air. Everything became cold, extremely frigid, and a noise filled the room. It was blaring and discordant, just like the sound I'd heard before I entered this...this...loophole in time.

     The world around me swept out of focus as the nose continued to grow harsher. Everything was spinning now, twisting and turning about my body. I clenched my eyes closed, yelling in frustration, "No! No! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

     At that moment, everything went dark. 

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments below. As always, stay safe and stay creative!