《Through Time》 Prologue ¡°Won¡¯t you at least read it?¡± Annabeth paused her movements and briefly glanced at the door, to see her classmate enter their shared room. Read it? That nonsense book she was about to shred into pieces? Of course not. Without any hesitation, she pulled a handful of pages and kept on tearing them. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Leila was at loss. That book was Carole¡¯s. Well, it was the main reason why Annabeth was destroying it but still¡­ the girl kept annoying people with it and praising it so much, so evidently, Leila was interested in reading it. Thus, knowing the dispute between her classmates and how well her roommate held grudges and won¡¯t be satisfied until she got her revenge, Leila had an inkling that the blonde girl will aim for Carole¡¯s most favored possession, and for the moment, it was that particular harlequin. If she had to be honest too, Leila wanted to read it for weeks now. She wasn¡¯t particularly close to Carole, so the book hadn¡¯t been lent to her. Knowing the matter that occurred today, she rushed to her bedroom, hoping to finally fill her curiosity. What a big disappointment! ¡°The cover alone is disgusting enough¡± Annabeth replied, at last, getting up from the bed to throw the papers into the chimney¡¯s flames. ¡°It is said to be the best romance¡¯s book of the decade you know. Such a good story. You¡¯re really heartless!¡±. Her friend voiced her complaint without holding back. ¡°Really? How about the heartless girl goes and exposes your favorite books to mother Theresa. You do remember what is forbidden and what is not, right?¡± How could she forget? The reminder came every three days. It became tiring to listen which didn¡¯t mean that the pensioners were well behaved and followed the rules. Most of the girls had romance books, makeups, pieces of jewelry and whatnots hidden inside their bedroom. ¡°Never mind! I just need two more weeks¡¯ worth of saving and I will be able to buy my own copy.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Why not buy some historical romance instead of those insidious modern histories.¡± That was her friend¡¯s reply, but what Leila heard was ¡°If you like being lied to, how about choosing the bigger lie?¡± They had lived in the same bedroom for years now, so they understood each other a little better than the rest of people and obviously, Leila heard the mockery in Annabeth¡¯s tone. That girl¡¯s view of relationships was bad in general. Never mind love, even friendship with her was difficult. But Leila Smith was already accustomed to her. That was just how her roommate was. ¡°It might be a good idea¡±. She shrugged and came closer to her drawer, taking her purse out, to check the amount. If she forgets about that attractive ring that she wanted, she could certainly buy herself a good book to take along during that boring excursion to the temple they were told about this morning. If she went empty handed there, one week and a half from now, then she will definitely be bored and unlike Annabeth, she couldn¡¯t sleep at will. ¡°It¡¯s always about some CEO¡¯s love in those novels anyway. And they are way too perfect, too rich and too surreal. The change will certainly be good. I¡¯ll look for a knight or a king, maybe even an emperor¡­¡± Annabeth just snorted but didn¡¯t respond. She didn¡¯t get the time anyway. A shrill voice resounded in the corridor. It was definitely Carole¡¯s and by her behavior, it could only be concluded that she finally found out that her harlequin was missing. ¡°Let the show begin¡± Said Annabeth, smiling coldly while taking the direction where that sound came from. Leila sighed. Carole wouldn¡¯t be able to report her missing property since it was a forbidden thing anyway; clearly, Annabeth went to rub some salt to the wound. Will it stop there? Certainly not. Anyone who was daring enough to badmouth that person¡¯s father should be prepared to bear the consequences. Annabeth may always be criticizing him herself but that didn''t mean she would tolerate those who followed her lead. She didn¡¯t even spare the director of her last school, when he hinted how unreliable her father seemed to be. The man was genuinely sympathizing with her for being alone after her victory in a competition in which she was representing the school. Something in his tone annoyed her and she threw her trophy on his car, effectively smashing the conductor¡¯s pane. That was Annabeth Dalton for you. Chapter 1: Submersion There is just one step between life and death. Such a small step. So easy to take¡­ ¡°Damn you, dad, damn you¡±. She tried to jerk her hand away from the gruff man, but he would have none of it. And the embarrassment to have herself drag away from a party at her age just added more fuel to her anger. ¡°Fuck¡±, she cursed again when one of her high heels broke and she all but had to lean on him to steady herself. ¡°Shut it, kid¡±, he finally said once he had her seated in his car, tired of hearing her curse like a truck¡¯s driver. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-two, for God¡¯s sake¡± came her shouted reply. ¡°How am I going to face my colleagues at work? Oh, my God, I¡¯m going to die from embarrassment on Monday¡±. She groaned and hid her face with her hand¡¯s palms, while her father started the car and drove, not caring about her anymore. There, he had done it again: controlling every step of her life. From the moment she was born, until this very day. ¡°You have to go to that all girl school¡±, ¡°you have to go to that university¡±, ¡°you have to work in that city¡±. Bloody hell, was it his wish that she was born a girl, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising. But the more, he was ordering her around, the more she wanted to rebel. ¡°You are an intelligent girl, how come you behave so stupidly is beyond me!¡± That was his forever line, and quite honestly, she was tired of it. ¡°I¡¯m not a girl anymore, when will you learn it?¡± She snapped. ¡°Certainly not with you still acting like one. You can¡¯t even dress properly!¡± She flushed; her hands automatically pulling her miniskirt to have it hide more of her legs. ¡°Well¡±, she tried sounding not affected. ¡°You cannot expect anyone to go to a nightclub with a gown either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not expecting my daughter to go to one for sure.¡± ¡°Everyone does that nowadays!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not everyone! And what does it give you anyway, to be up at one o¡¯clock mixing with those, those¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to spell it. If he thought his daughter was barely covered at all, then for the others, they could all be naked, for what they were wearing was close to nothing. ¡°Your mother, had she been alive to see this, would have been very disappointed.¡± ¡°For all I care¡±, she replied staring at her window, her chin on her right hand, her brows furrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk like that!¡±, he snapped letting his eyes went to her head for a second before returning them to the road. ¡°Where did I go wrong with you?¡± Was that exasperation in his voice? She shot her head in his direction. ¡°From the very first day I believed¡±, she replied hotly. ¡°You may have as well let me die with my mother, for the result seems to displease you more than what you bargained for.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put it on me.¡± ¡°Then on whom shall I put it? Maybe mother Elisa for I remembered the sister couldn¡¯t shut it for one sec. Had I been able to, you could be sure I would have lost my virginity right in front of her to have her finally close it.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. His grip tightened on the steering wheel until the end of his fingers turned white; his cheeks flushed with fury, and, with his brows furrowed making them seemed like one, her father made a sound she couldn¡¯t quite decipher, between a groan and a shout. ¡°And have you¡±, he shouted more ¡°Lost your virginity?¡± ¡°I would have¡±, she shouted right back, ¡°had you not come today. But be sure I¡¯m losing it next week, no matter what.¡± Was she really having this conversation, seems like it. Wasn¡¯t it the twenty-first century? She felt more like an outcast: still being a virgin at her age, still living with her dad, still not owning her own car to ride wherever and whenever she wants. He stepped on the gas, exceeding the speed limit, but wasn¡¯t caring. The car was already on the bridge, their home a couple of kilometers ahead. The night was so dark, nor the stars and neither the moon could be seen. The clouds so thick seemed so heavy. The sky was rumbling, but with their shouts, neither of them was hearing it. ¡°Have you lost your mind? You co-¡± His other words were absorbed by the frightening sound of a thunder, and the next moment, the bridge was falling apart. The shock set the air-bags free, but those weren¡¯t welcome. They were feeling the ground literally opening, and were falling into the nothingness, fear giving them a new found reason to shout at the top of their lungs. Then came the contact with the sea, so sudden and brutal. Annabeth roughly smacked the side of her head on her window, her father¡¯s iron kit which was on the bench behind was moving like a pinball and knocked her father twice with a heaviness that will certainly leave a mark. There wasn¡¯t any time to catch a breath, the car, which steadied itself for two seconds, was now been swallowed by the sea. The blonde woman was highly panicked, alright, but still breathing. With her hands shaking like they never did before, she was struggling to unbuckle her safety-belt and at the same time shouting for help to the dark night. ¡°Oh my God, oh my God¡± she started singing understanding that no one was coming. The water at her feet was so cold. Now free from the buckle, she started kicking the window to make it open, when the door refused to budge. ¡°We need to get out of here, dad¡­¡± She finally turned around only to freeze. By her side, her father wasn¡¯t moving at all and she feared the worst. Blood was all over his face, on the air-bag and also on the steering wheel. She forgot all about a possible exit and leaned on help her begetter. The water was moving fast, he had the regain consciousness and quickly. She shouted his name while still working her fingers on the buckle. Many times had she yelled, but he didn¡¯t wake up. The water was almost over their shoulder, the vehicle, slowly sinking. Was it raining inside the vehicle too? No. It was her tears, so many tears that she could barely see. Her voice was now a strained sound that was shouting his name over and over again, cracking with each breath. His safety-belt finally gave in, but his closed eyes froze her movement for a moment. And at this very instant, it wasn¡¯t the coldness of the sea that had her shaking like she was, but the sight of her dad, not moving an inch, while their death was been slowly confirmed. By all means, will they die like this, their last memory a quarrel? The tears wouldn¡¯t stop. Get a grip she told herself trying to ignore the coldness cutting her like millions of knives. ¡°I will get us out of here¡±, she was promising. ¡°Do you hear me, I will get it right and I will never forgive you if you die here.¡± She took one last deep breath preparing for the submersion. Now under the water, but both of them free, she was trying to open the blasted door. She tried kicking, pleading, but the window pane wouldn¡¯t lessen, nor her door open. Her father¡¯s side was, she remembered. He liked the wind in his hair when he was driving, and she thanked God he did. She started with him, trying to make him passed the rectangle exit. He wasn¡¯t. She took off his blouse and this time, it did the trick. She hurried herself out too and went to hold his body from drowning further in the water. Annabeth wished she had more than just two lungs. While the vehicle was sinking more, she was glad she wasn¡¯t in it, but at the same, it wasn¡¯t making much difference, for she couldn¡¯t move anymore. Holding her father by the left shoulder, she was still struggling with the right one, to have them out of the water. But she couldn¡¯t swim anymore. Was it cramp? Was her brain lacking oxygen? She didn¡¯t know. What was evident was that she couldn¡¯t go up anymore and her father¡¯s weight was pulling her down. The fight was hard. Every muscle in her body, every cell wanted to live, but they couldn¡¯t outweigh what was now evident. They¡¯ll die. Funny how in the end, she was very much as a liar as her dad. There wasn¡¯t a promise he wouldn¡¯t break. She just wanted him to fulfill just one, even the smaller would have been welcome: to be there for her. Darkness was slowly blackening her vision. One last thought occurred to her. Should she leave her father to try and save herself while she could still do it? No, she replied to herself without hesitation. By all means, no. Should he die, then she will gladly follow. For never, even when she lost her temper, had she imagined a world without her only relative. He may not be perfect but he was and would always be, her father. She wished she had been kinder though. She wished she hadn¡¯t come to that nightclub. She wished he didn¡¯t follow her. She wished they didn¡¯t quarrel. She wished the bridge didn¡¯t break. And in the end, she wished she had listened to him for once. All of it was swallowed by darkness. Chapter 2: Waking up Losing you would mean the end of the world to me. Lightning. Flash. Water. And the next moment, her eyes flew open. She coughed. Hard. Water was been pulled out of her lungs by that. What had just happened? She didn¡¯t know, but she was very much alright: Soaked, but alive. It was still midnight, but it wasn¡¯t raining anymore, the sky was clear, there wasn¡¯t any angry cloud. The crescent moon was shining with a brightness she never saw until today. The stars were so many it felt like she was looking at the city¡¯s lights in the night. She couldn¡¯t understand anymore. Didn¡¯t the bridge collapse with them still on it? Didn¡¯t they fell into the water? Water? Touching the ground she felt the vegetation behind her palm. Grass and dried sand which was getting wet because of her still dripping hair. Some feet ahead of her, laid a lake, where should have been the sea that supposedly drowned them. Could it be that she actually dreamed all of it? From the dance club until the accident? Her freezing body was telling her what happened was very much real. Strange, but real. She felt numb, not knowing what to think. Was she dead? Was this what was called purgatory? Glancing around for any plausible explanation, she saw her father, lying on the ground not far away. He wasn¡¯t moving at all. Her heart started racing. She tried to go to him, but her overtired feet would have none of it. Failing to stand up, she crawled to him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, her heart drumming inside her torso threatening to come out at any moment. ¡°Dad¡±, she whispered with a shaking voice at his side, nudging him. Her hair was out of its bun, every part of her body was covered in sand and russet, even her mouth was full of it. ¡°Dad, please, wake up. Dad.¡± Annabeth wasn¡¯t a physician. She knew nothing of first aid. Had it been a problem with a computer, she would have easily solved it, but not this. Not a life or death problem. That was her father¡¯s skills, and right now, he was the one in need of help. And a quick one at that. She seated herself next to his face and lifted a shaking finger close to his nose, praying that he was still breathing. When his hot breath fanned her still damp finger, she drew a sigh of relief. He was alive. Her father wasn¡¯t dead, he was alive. They were going to be alright. Whatever happened, they were safe. Were they? She called him again with a small voice; she couldn¡¯t seemed to speak any higher for now. He didn¡¯t wake up. She shook him again. Nothing. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna leave me now, right?¡± She asked completely freaked out. ¡°Out of all the time I asked you to leave me alone, you choose this moment to finally comply?¡± The silence responded her. She stopped shaking him and her body itself started shaking. It wasn¡¯t the cold, there was much of that, yes, but it wasn¡¯t responsible for her state. Soon, her voice broke the silence, her laughs making her trembled all the more, from head to toe. She was guffawing like crazy. It was a pitiful sight. A reaction born from despair. She was laughing without mirth. Laughing to fill the silence, because someone had to. And no one was going to if not her. Certainly not her dad. Her laugh grew louder and louder, as hot tears were now falling like river. ¡°You really suck at timing¡±. Her incoherent laughs turned into sobs and whines, while tears were still running down her cheek. He wasn¡¯t waking up. What an egoist. How many times had he left her to sort things out by herself while tending to something else? And what a liar: How many times did he promise her she wouldn¡¯t be crying anymore? That he would always be there for her no matter the distance, no matter the time, no matter what. She just had to lean on him and he would do the rest he used to say. Now she needed him. Now she wanted him. She was ready to call everything else quit, to forgive any mistake, any deception; any hurt as long as he would just woke up and stayed by her side. She needed him. She needed her father. Now more than anything in the entire world. He wasn¡¯t moving. She grew angry in her misery and with the small energy left in her body, she started beating him, her hands closed into a tight fist. ¡°You¡±, she continued smacking his chest, before collapsing on him, still crying and too tired to keep on going on. The hardness, with which she last hit him, woke him up and soon, he was coughing too, before sitting himself next to her. The next thing he knew, he was in his daughter¡¯s arms, her whole body shaking. ¡°I thought you in a coma¡±, sobbed she, tightening the hug. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t move an inch, and I thought, I thought...¡± Jane Dalton let his daughter hold him like she never did before. He could hear her heart. It was beating so fast.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Calm down¡±, he soothed her, caressing her long blond hair that was very much like his. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She kept on crying, still not completely believing she was talking to a living man. That did it. Forgetting everything else, he laughed. How many times did he ask her to apologize for something she did and she ended up either ignoring him or saying something that made his anger take a new intensity? Even when she was a child, no matter what punishment he threatened her with, those words rarely escaped her lips. ¡°Now, that¡¯s worth a recording, a pity I let the chance passed¡±, he said, before wincing with pain. ¡°Dad!¡± His scared daughter exclaimed, freeing him from her embrace. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just a slight concussion I suppose.¡± Releasing himself from his daughter, he massaged his head for a minute or two, near the wound he imagined himself having, if the dried blood on his temple was any indication at all. All too soon, his daughter¡¯s warm wasn¡¯t near him anymore. She was already glancing around and he knew that the spell was broken. Whatever bonding time they were having, was now over and the space between them was increasing both physically and metaphorically as she was trying to get up. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± he grunted unhappily. Annabeth was already up. Her father¡¯s wellbeing giving her a new found energy. She looked around, trying to determine where exactly they were. ¡°The bridge collapsed¡±, came her reply before sneezing. ¡°The bridge?¡± He asked, struggling with his feet to stand up. And when he did, he almost fell instantly, his head swooning. But he caught himself quickly before his daughter got to see it. In front of him, laid a lake, and all around, there were trees. What the hell? ¡°How did we end up here? Where is the car?¡± ¡°I¡­¡±, she sneezed, ¡°¡­don¡¯t¡­¡±, another one, ¡°¡­know¡­¡±. A third. His mouth just hardened in a tight line, as he took in her clothes once again, and for the second time in the same night, he thought about burning them once she took them off. How the bloody hell could people sell that? It wasn¡¯t covering anything at all! ¡°Now you see why dressing up is important.¡± Here he comes again she thought. ¡°Sure, this has very little to do with the fact that I¡¯m completely drenched¡±, she criticized unhappily. Fishing her phone in the pocket of her jacket, she was glad to have had it customized waterproof. But her gladness was short, for there wasn¡¯t any network. ¡°Can you call someone?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re out of reach¡±. Holding her phone with her teeth, she removed her jacket and squeezed water out of it, before putting it on again. Maybe it wasn¡¯t much, but she felt better. Her father followed her lead and squeezed water out of his shirt too and his slipover. At forty four, Jane Dalton was a bit of a muscular man and had a tanned skin contrary to his daughter who had a white one, as white as milk. He owed his tans to his years spent in Africa with Medecin-sans-frontiere, as well as his scar on the abdomen. It was a bullet¡¯s scar which thankfully didn¡¯t hurt anymore but, sometimes still gave him nightmares. He went to the lake and knelt. The blond man looked at his features reflecting on the water, the only light helping him being the moon. There wasn¡¯t much he could point out, but his head¡¯s left side ached. He damped his white slipover and cleaned the wound. Soon, the part touching his skin changed from white to red with some brown certainly from dirt. Once finished, he washed the cloth, squeezed it and tied it to his head. He didn¡¯t have tape on him, so that will do for now. He put on his shirt and got up. He took a look around, recognizing nothing. There weren¡¯t even the remnants of the bridge nor was there any road. Just the forest. So that¡¯s where he started to go. ¡°Let us look for the car. At least there are some dry clothes in there, as well as my kit.¡± He was, when the matter didn¡¯t directly concern his daughter, quite a flexible man and would adapt to many situations almost immediately. If his time in Africa taught him anything, it was that not everything could be explained scientifically and sometimes, one just needed to go with the flow. Annabeth wanted to say that the car was most likely in the bottom of the sea, but then again they should be there too. So, she just shrugged and lit on her phone, following her dad. *** ¡°Is it really a good idea, to look for a car inside a forest?¡± she groaned, before slapping her legs one more time. Those mosquitoes seemed to be chasing only after her. That trip in the forest was becoming something she really hated. How many stones had she stepped onto, for if high heels weren¡¯t for a forest¡¯s walk, being bare feet wasn¡¯t better. ¡°It wasn¡¯t at the lake, was it?¡± Came the sarcastic reply of her father. And once again, he was walking straight in front, holding her phone like he owned the thing. When her feet connected with yet another stone ¨Cor was it a root?- she decided that it was it. She had had enough. ¡°Then we can try sleeping somewhere, and wait for the light of the sun to have a better look around. Now we¡¯re just must likely to get lost¡­ Please¡±, she begged, when he just resumed his walking. ¡°There can be wild animals, you know.¡± ¡°All the better reasons to stop.¡± ¡°Walking is a better exercise to have the heat of your body preventing hypothermia.¡± ¡°Cut the cra¡±- A scream resounded. ¡°What the¡±- Another one cut her sentence. ¡°Stay here¡±, shouted her dad, and the next moment, he was running towards the sound. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± she shouted after him, but he was long gone. Was he serious? Now what? She asked herself, leaning on the tree next to her. She was alone, completely lost in a dark forest, bare feet, a soaked miniskirt, a soaked top and an equally soaked jacket to keep her warm. How worse can it get?