Chapter One
“What the actual hell?! You’ve got to be kidding me! First, I’m cornered by a group of strangers, not to mention abnormally strong ones, who randomly show up in my room. Then, with absolutely no explanation, you shove me into this crazy contraption that you call a ‘Time Chamber’ and all of that whilst telling me you’re ‘from the future’?! I’m calling the cops.”
Among the trio of strangers, a tall young woman stepped forward. Her unusually vibrant lavender colored eyes caught my attention, as well as her extremely long and shining ebony hair that went past her waist. I was dialing 9-1-1 when the girl said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” and waved her hand dismissively, sending my phone clattering to the ground. I was absolutely terrified, and I put my hands up in submission, knowing now that I had no choice but to surrender.
“W-what are you? Who are you? How are you…?” I paused, trying to assess the situation, but it was pointless. Frantic thoughts swam everywhere inside my head, obscuring my attempts to grasp anything.
“Crap,” I thought. “These people, whoever they are, whatever they are, are probably here to abduct me and take me captive to dwell with them in their strange parallel universe. All I need to do is stay calm and obey them. No big deal. They’re superior to me.” I took a shaky breath, composing my nervousness as much as possible. “I mean no harm, future beings,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Bowing my head slightly in a show of respect, I met each of their faces. I first saw a dark-skinned young man with curly black hair. He, too, had an unusually vibrant eye color, like the girl who had violet eyes, except his were a brilliant blue. When I saw them, a strange, almost palpable energy seemed to radiate off of him. He returned my gaze with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was definitely good looking, but he wasn’t my type. Another young man caught my attention, with tousled blonde hair atop his head and eyes that shone like orbs of fire, emitting a much brighter intensity than the others'. They were almost glowing. I couldn’t look away, and he smiled, almost laughing at the curiosity that was so plainly written on my face. I laughed nervously, and a blush crept its way onto my cheeks.
“Uh... um... Roselyn. My name is Roselyn,” I said, or rather, squawked, blurting out the words awkwardly, as though I’d just begun learning English.
“Well, apologies for not introducing myself first, Roselyn. I’m Asher. You’re definitely wondering why we’re here, judging by the puzzled look on your face. And you’re really anxious about the strange things that we can do. Vi has the power to manipulate objects by will. Thomas can create energy and transfer it into something or someone who has recently died. He can take it away from a living thing as well. I can create and manipulate fire. You’ll warm up to me. Eventually.” The twinkle in his eye flickered as he spoke, and he twitched his lips in a smirk.
I couldn’t laugh at his remark, nor his expression. I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it, and it overwhelmed me with a shock that prevented me from saying anything. My face paled and my eyes widened. I froze like a deer in headlights. Hands clammy and body trembling, I screamed, “Get away from me, freak!” just before I backed into the wall of the cylindrical machine, my consciousness slowly left my body. Panic rose in the voices of Vi, Thomas, and Asher as they grew louder, yet their voices sounded muffled and slurred. My ears began ringing. My prolonged struggle against my body came to an end as I felt warm arms encircle me and A soft voice whisper in my ear, lulling me into unconsciousness.