Ten Steps With You

Chapter 15: Goodbye

"Well, it's almost time." Mr. Ortegas said.

Two days had passed and the last pieces of sand began to fall.

Mr. Ortegas continued. "There are a few things we need to ask."

The ticking sound of a plastic clock slightly echoed in the room. A warm air filled the atmosphere.

"Firstly, what do you two know so far?"

"Know about what?" Oliver asked.

"About this whole barrier. What do you know about it apart from the fact that you two can't move away from each other?"

"Not much," Oliver said. "All we know is that we need to find the other couples affected by this."

"And by finding them you expect to find other artifacts like the hourglass?"

Oliver and Summer nodded.

"I see," Mr. Ortegas "There's a few more things you'll need to know then."

Mrs. Ortegas brought a pitcher of ice-cold water to the dining table. Next to her, Andrea was distributing glasses to everyone.

"Firstly, when are your birthdays?" Mrs. Ortegas asked, her voice as calm as ever. 

"We were both born a week apart in December." Summer said.

"December?"

"Yes, the 5th and the 12th of December to be exact."

Mr. Ortegas tapped his fingers on the table.

"That's... There might be a possibility," Mrs. Ortegas said, lowering her voice.

"A possibility?"

"You two might be the last to be experiencing this. You might be the last couple."

"Oh, isn't that a good thing?" Summer said as her voice cheered up.

"It could but we're not too sure."

Mr. Ortegas took a sip of water, clearing his throat right after. "When we were doing what you two are doing now, we learned a bit about the previous couples."

"Although many of the memories have been lost, we can vaguely recall that the outcome of the last couple might not be very good."

Oliver leaned in closer, his hands on the edge of the table. "What else can you tell us?"

"You two might disappear." Mr. Ortegas said. "Although I don't think it's the type of disappearance you have in mind."

"Do we disappear from memory or something?" 

"I'm not too sure. But that is also a possibility. You might just disappear from everyone's memory."

"How would that work?"

"Your friends, your family. Anyone who knows you would forget about you." 

"That sounds really cliche," Oliver laughed a little.

"Yeah, it does. But again, we can't confirm if that would happen."

"Yes," Mrs. Ortegas continued. "And nothing has confirmed that you two are the last couple."

"Me and Sam advise that you two don't take it too hard on yourselves. You shouldn't have to worry too much." Mr. Ortegas said. 

Another piece of sand fell from the hourglass. Only a few more remained before all the sand would have reached the bottom. 

Mrs. Ortegas smiled. "You three should go out. Make the most of the last minutes you have."

"Why so?" Summer asked.