Present LifeTime"Quinn, you wanted to talk to us?" Hannah and Landon stepped inside the library where Quinn is waiting. His parents: Henry and Lily were also there, including Nicholas and wife Lara.
"Mama Hannah, I wanted to ask something about Ca.s.sandra." he began.
"What is it, Quinn? Did something happen?" Wondering, Hannah asked worriedly.
"Mama, does Ca.s.sandra sleepwalk at night?" Quinn asked afterward.
"No, Quinn. Why?" curious Hannah asked.
Quinn takes a silent. He is weighing whether to share what happened last night. No. Not the kisses they have shared.
"Ca.s.sandra came back for a shorter time but then disappeared again."
"Is that true Quinn?"
He nodded. But Hannah began sobbing. "How is she? Did you talk to her?"
"Not really, Mama. But I mentioned that she switches the body with someone. I told her to remember the story in a book she read at Loura"s house. I quickly explained to her that; it was also our life but changes after RESET, and that is our present time in reality. She then unconscious and slept," Quinn narrated.
"Then I asked the Ca.s.sandra who with us, but she can"t remember anything about last night."
"Then are you saying that sometimes Ca.s.sandra would come back, but she will leave again?"
Quinn nodded. "It was just my theory, Mama."
Hannah feeling like she is pa.s.sing out. She is worried about her daughter if she was in good hands and was safe. Landon, who was only listening to this time, patted his wife"s back and comforted her.
* * *
Back to the Life that does not exist anymore.
Ca.s.sandra steps down from bed, yawning. She strides outside toward the bathroom just next to their bedroom. She immediately washes her face and stares at her reflection in the mirror.
No way! She had hair? She screamed inside her head.
Did she jump time? Then, how old is she now? And she also notices, there are more changes to her appearance she could see. Now her chest developed and looks like she also grew taller.
She went back to her bedroom and the almost empty shelves have more stuffed places in it by now.
It could even be possible to skip time like this? She asked herself again.
Ca.s.sie pondering on these things. She dreamed that Quinn is telling her she was switching body to someone who that person is also she in this life. However, there is a reset happens, and the course of their lives changes.
Then, she was not inside a dream, but she went to another time? Is everything possible? Ah, her head got only confused right now. But she remembers the story of that book very well.
Ca.s.sie has been contemplating when she heard a message tone from a phone. She found it on her bed, then it means it was hers. The phone wasn"t a smartphone brand, but it was a flipping one. She checks out the new-arrived message, and it was from Cara.
The messages she read on this phone are from Levi and Cara. Just as the book tells, they will become best of friends.
Although she can"t recall any memories from this body, it was empty but her memories of what she could only remember. And to catch up from all that happens at the moment, she has to rely on the story of that book. And so, she needs to know how old she was this time and how many chapters she jumped into in.
Staring at the phone, she receives another message from Cara.
"Where are you? We"re supposed to celebrate your birthday already! You should have told us it was your birthday yesterday!"
"Oh. But where should I go?" She asked.
"Just come to the shop. Be there now, okay?"
Cara mentioned the shop. It must be the same store Cara"s family-owned.
All right, so yesterday is her birthday and her friends wanted to celebrate it even it was late. Well, never mind. She is better to show up and find out what is new now that she was thirteen years old.
She quickly took a bath and changed clothes. It looks like, going to rain later. Ca.s.sie opens the closet that belongs to her in this dream. She found more clothes storing inside, also; she owns more winter coats and rain jackets. She chooses a dark pink hoodie to paired her white high-neck fitted long sleeve.
She also noticed that more sneakers she owns now, than the first time she woke up inside this dream, almost nothing she owns. Looks like, Martin regularly shop her clothes. She could recall that he was angry when Lydia spent that money that supposed to be for her new. Instead, Lydia only bought for her and Mimie.
Like what the book says, Ca.s.sie has a good life when her uncle was around. Everything began changing after he got into the accident, and he died.
Wait, a minute. Martin will die one of these years. No. Even she wanted to change that course of fate, but she shouldn"t meddle anything that happens in the book. She sighed.
She is all set. Ca.s.sie went to the garage and get her bike. It was in the book that Martin bought a bike for her birthday. Since then, she will often hang out with the others.
Riding a bike toward the address Cara gave her, she stopped at the traffic light.
No way! Ca.s.sie screams inside her head. Today, she will meet Quinn who was drunk and hasn"t sober up! And it happens already! Larry stopped his car just next to her. But Ca.s.sie quickly put on her hood and just secretly peep at the car next to her.
Quinn... her heart cried.
She could hear that Larry was scolding Quinn as how he was drunk last night until this morning. The book said, he was mourning on her birthday, that is why she got drunk last night.
The moment the traffic light becomes Green, Ca.s.sie resumes pedaling and crosses the intersection. She follows the car that pa.s.sed her.
Quinn, even how much I wanted to show up to you, I cannot do it. There will be the right time, that you will see her again. Ca.s.sie whispered in the air.
She arrives at the store owned by Cara"s mom. She steps inside, and they already prepared to surprise her with a greeting and happy birthday song while they were holding balloons and Levi is a strawberry cake. She smiled and thanked them.
She was glad. That she in this life meets wonderful people like Levi and Cara, to which she also friends with them in reality.
Ca.s.sie watching fondly. She remembers that across here is their favorite café.
Quinn... I missed you so much. I wanted to kiss you once again. Hope to see you again tonight.
"Hey, what"s with the sad face?" Levi asked her. "It"s your birthday. You should be smiling." Levi pulls both of her cheeks.
"Aw, Levi!" she smacks him on the back. The usual silly Levi. Ca.s.sie laughs as he was telling a joke.
"Okay, who wants hot drinks?"
"Let me buy them, Auntie!" she volunteered.
Ca.s.sie now crossing the street, nervous and feeling excited. The last time she came here is Martin brought her, and she saw the Quinn who existed here. So she wonders, by chance, she will meet Quinn today.
But the reason she volunteered is to remember the place in the same café she and Quinn dated. She steps inside and glances at the table she and Quinn shared on their dates. To her surprise, Quinn was there! He was working on his laptop while sipping from the cup of coffee. Then stop typing but picked up a doc.u.ment and began reading it.
The hard-working Quinn. She could tell that he was having a hangover as Quinn frequently ma.s.saging his temples and nape. She wanted to run toward him and offer to ma.s.sage his shoulders and forehead. It will surely surprise him seeing her alive. But no, Quinn should not find out yet that Ca.s.sie is alive.
Just hold on Quinn. You will see her at the right time. Work hard. When the time comes, she needed your protection and power.