Secrets of Time

Chapter 4 - Cherry/AJ

I was in a different room and Autumn seemed more and more worried about me. I kept getting this headache each time I woke up. She was laying on the bed and asks

"Are you going to tell me what happened??" she says in a very concerned voice. I felt bad for keeping it from her. It would be best if I didn't and would she even believe me? I had these thoughts in my mind about what was going to happen if I told her. Without thinking I said

"It's these dreams." I stopped myself at first, looking at her quickly to see if she was going to laugh or not but instead she had a shocked, serious face to her, "They felt like...visions? I don't know...but it made me a bit worried for you so I thought maybe if I distanced myself from you they won't come true, I guess,"

"Did you perhaps maybe see me...dying?" She asked, quieter than usual.

"Yeah? How did you know?" I looked up at her in shock as my vision started to clear. It was Autumn but she looked a bit different. She was wearing a pink yukata and had green streaks in her hair.

"I've had similar dreams," she looked shyly down, "But instead of me, it was you that was dying....and I know it's weird but the moment you started acting weird and I just assumed you might've had something similar,"

"Well then why didn't you try to distance yourself from me?"

"Because it's just a dream," she said, stroking my cheek as if consoling me. She had this look in her eye that was different from before, it made her look strong and honestly, kind of cute and if it weren't for her familiar shyness, I would think she was a different person.

"But....it feels so real and it's been happening for so many days ever since I saw you outside your house in the alleyway," I noticed her face drop as if thinking 'he saw that?' Which made me feel confused and a bit concerned.

"It was the same for me too, but trust me, it'll end and besides. Even if it is true, wouldn't it be better if we stuck together because trust me, if it were to come true and I were to die, at least you'd be by my side to save me. And I to you," she whispered gently and brushed my hair out of my eyes. She had a point which brought huge guilt to wash over me, "Now go to bed, it's two in the morning and you have school tomorrow, so sleep well," I closed my eyes to her gentle words as she helped me to sleep.

"I'm....sorry....Autumn..." I mumbled out. I heard hesitation in her voice before she said her last words.

"And you can tell that to her tomorrow...." She said before darkness filled my vision and I finally fell asleep.

I woke up a few hours later, facing the left side of my bed to where Autumn was no longer there. In normal circumstances I'd be concerned on how she got in and out, but what makes this so different? Why can't it be considered a normal circumstance? The most important question that was in my head was what she meant when she said I can tell 'her' that tomorrow. I sat up and rubbed my hair out of exhaustion, maybe it was all a dream. I mean why else would I wake up so late at night. Autumn or whoever visited me last night I could feel a bit thankful for as I no longer had that strange nightmare. I looked over at the clock to see the time was 6PM, "Welp, I guess I'll be late for the first block again," I internally cried, getting out of bed to get ready for school.

Surprisingly, I made it just in time to not miss the first bell, rushing my shower and changing of clothes. Sadly though I had to sacrifice my hair as it's usual state is almost as messy as my bed hair. Before entering the school gates though, I noticed a familiar face of Autumn heading inside the school gates. At first, I hesitated but then last night became a flashback to me and I decided to muster up the courage to face her. "Autumn!" I yelled her name as I ran up to her. She froze in place and I could obviously tell she was deciding whether to continue walking or stop right there in her tracks, obviously she hadn't made up her mind when I came to her side and put my hand on her shoulder, "Thank god I caught up to you before school started,"

"Well can you let go? First block is about to start," Her voice was in a type of whisper, as if we were meeting for the first time again.

"So? Don't tell me you care about listening to an hour lecture," I tried to joke around to lighten the mood but apparently she wasn't taking it.

"And don't tell me you don't care about passing even high school and want to ruin your life," she said sarcastically as if mocking me, "Now if you don't mind, I got stuff to do," she yanked her shoulder out from my grasp and kept walking. Usually I wouldn't care about situations like this but for some reason, she sticks out to me and I have to become friends with her again.

"Wait up!" I chased after her again and matched her surprisingly quick pace, "Look, if this is about the other day, I'm sorry, I just had some stuff on my mind, and like you said, it happens," she looked a bit confused, but didn't even dare to look at me. I was about to say more when I noticed her eyes were dark and heavy, as if she hadn't slept well for days, similar to me. And now that I mentioned it, she wasn't as early as usual today, "So you were right," I started, "You're having the same dreams as me," She stopped walking, her eyes wide as if I told her a family member died or something. She quickly looked up at me.

"How did you know that?" She stuttered out.

"You t-" I was about to say when the bell rang and snapped her out of it, now the fear in her eyes was for the bell. She cursed under her breath and nodded towards me, rushing into the school and probably to her class, "What's up with her?" I scratched the back of my head, concern more for how weird Autumn was than missing the first block. I'll have to ask her after school.