Death in a Paradox

The Third Chapter

The Third Chapter

~~~

Meredith

"Annabella, change your shoes!" I yelled at the girl with confused blue eyes. "Take mine!"

The moment she took my shoes and took off her own I vaporized. It was the first time I died. Three more times would follow. 

Then I suddenly was in a strange room. I was thinking I was sitting, but I never knew. There were transparent seats everywhere, and similar human-like ghosts sat in them. They flickered every few seconds. When I looked down, I gasped. I was in space. The Earth was a bright blue globe underneath me.

"Meredith Alexandria Walker, please stand."

 I did what I thought was standing. 

"Meredith Alexandria Walker is charged with a level ten time crime for causing a paradox with major repercussions through the time stria of Augustus Maxwelby, Annabella-Natalie Eltiise, Annabella-Natalie Eltiise, and several others minorly to majorly impacted. The punishment is death."

Please don't even ask me why they said Annabella's name twice. It's still to early for that. 

Then I died after I died, for a second time. Annabella later explained it to me as a time bubble, where time is controlled by me. When I can't control it, it's forever and never. It's impossible, but time travel is supposed to be also. 

So I was stuck here for forever and never, dying in every second and never.

It's not a very pleasant experience.

~~~

Augustus

When Annabella told me what happened, I was confused.

"We probably did something bad and got a detention. Meredith had to get us out, but instead, she took the Time Spear and told me to change my shoes. She caused a paradox, basically."

"But how?" Annabella dear, I thought, you're a genius who makes no sense. 

"I know it's crazy and self-contradictory, but it's real! I know that once she told me to change my shoes, whatever it meant, then she shouldn't have existed and came! But you have to trust me on this, Maxwelby!"

 "Fine! But how?" 

Meredith was gone, possibly forever. I looked at Annabella with pained eyes and saw she was looking at me the same way. "We're not letting this go, just like that," Annabella whispered. "Meredith is my best friend, she sacrificed so much in one moment without knowing it, and it cost her her life. We need to get your girlfriend back."

I held out my hand. "Whatever it takes?"

She shook it. "Whatever it takes."

 ~~~~

 Kjerstin

I am Kjerstin.

You do not know me. Not yet. You won't for a somewhat long time. Annabella only trusts me, at least now. No one suspects me. No one can hurt me.

That is why Annabella chose me to put this together.

Later, you will find earlier dated entries. Try not to be confused. But you're only human, so you will be. 

Annabella told me to say this. I'll do anything for Annabella.

Annabella went with that Maxwelby idiot to her lab. In her lab, she told me, the Time Spear should have been in the corner. The Time Spear would have let her go fix the future, which should not cause a paradox. Yet Annabella worries about it because of her theory of time. 

Annabella's theory of time is true. 

You needed to know that.

You'll hear from me soon. I'll be dead. But everything is so messed up, I don't know how or when or even if. 

Thank you, I am Kjerstin. Please remember me for who I am, not what I will become.

~~~

Otto 

Kjerstin had me write an entry, so I did.

Annabella is the smartest person I've ever met, and that's saying a lot after living for so many years. She is a genius, no doubt about it, who know's what she's doing. That is why you must trust her.

You may be a pawn, but remember that we all are. All we will ever be is a shiny piece for Annabella to move to a new square while her opponent takes waits for their turn, ready to add a new twist. Now I'm not saying we're all worthless, or that we are only pawns. Of course not. A well placed pawn is worth more than a king. Annabella needs friends more than she thinks. You need to know that.

Annabella is special. She'll make you do crazy things, not thinking of consequences you may suffer, and convince you she's not human. You will think she's a machine, one that uses blood to oil itself. She will be the person you don't want to know, but you will go back to her when you need her. She'll do everything for you. You will always hurt her afterwards.

Why Annabella still helps people is a mystery to me. She's been hurt so much that the only thing keeping her together is knowing she can't commit suicide, because too many people believe in her to be the one to survive every hardship to come her way. 

She won't. I believe she will.

 ~~~

Jason

Now that everyone is writing entries, I think I will also. 

My name is Jason. The first non-scáth I met was Annabella. See, I'm really not. Annabella was the first non-scáth I saw also. Now, after I met several humans and magical humans, I must say Annabella is the craziest one of them all. Don't let that scare you. We're all a little crazy. It's just some people are more, some are less. We believe the crazy ones are crazy, while they believe we are the crazy ones. Annabella is crazy, Meredith is plain weird and confusing, Augustus is just a little crazy, and Kjerstin is eccentric. Otto is abnormal, Eva is strange, and Laura is not your average German Elemental. I'll admit I'm crazy weird. My father is… I don't know. 

My point here is remember that you are crazy. There's always going to be that one person that looks at you and thinks you are the strangest person in the world. Annabella has a lot of people looking at her like that. She doesn’t care, didn’t care, and won’t care. Please, just trust her. No matter what, it’ll all work out in the end.

Well, at least it should.

~~~

Laura 

I hated Annabella the first time I met her, when she was seventeen. I thought she was a smug little annoying girl who thought she was the best. She tried saving my life, and I was too dumb to realize it. I lived, of course, but I’ll always remember how annoying I probably was. I was at that time twenty two, my father died in battle, and because we Elementals have the worst magical army in the world I was to be the General. I thought it was going to amazing, that I would lead my army into glorious battle, but it wasn’t. I got, to put it simply, my ass kicked on the first day and kidnapped. I had little experience. I should have known better.

I was dumb. Annabella showed me that. That girl will save your life.

Trust her. Don’t trust Kjerstin.