A Cyborg in Time

The Taxing Trauma of the Treacherous Tattle Trials! Part Two

"I refuse to become the monster you are when I grow up!" Melvin screamed at Melvinborg. They were in Krupp's brain. "And that decision means..."

But he never finished his sentence.

Just then, Hazel called out. "Wait! Don't do this! You can't!"

She ran to join Melvinborg.

"Why?" Melvin asked.

"I am from the future, too!" Hazel replied. "Listen, Melvinborg said if you change the future, he'll disappear!"

"Yes, I know." Melvin scoffed.

"Well, I'm his sibling." Hazel said. "If you change the future, I'll disappear, too! We'll both fade away to nothing!"

Melvin looked at the siblings in horror.

Hazel stared at him.

She didn't bother to think her next action through - she strode up to Melvin and slapped him hard across the cheek with everything she had. The impact was loud, and Melvin ended up stumbling some feet away as he cried out in pain. On top of that, her own hand hurt, so it must've been a good hit.

With a smirk, she folded her arms. "What you're probably going to do is totally uncalled for!" She told him, refusing to back down. "You're basically going to kill us both. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Melvin was shocked. "Fine, I reconsider my actions. As I was saying, I refuse to become the monster you are when I grow up! And that decision means... Well, I was going to rewrite history. But because of... her," he subtly glared at Hazel, who gave him a saucy grin, "I'm going to ignore your transgressions for now."

Unable to hold out any longer, Hazel hugged Melvinborg.

"That being said," Melvin continued through grit teeth, "don't tell me to leave George and Harold here again. I won't change my mind a second time."

Melvinborg saluted to his past self. "You can count on me," he said.

"Well then," Hazel started once they were out of his brain and Krupp was back to normal. She had her hands pressed together and a serious expression on her face. "That was... how shall I put this eloquently..."

She paused just long enough for the others to wait for the response, and with exaggerated hand movements and a wide grin on her face she said,

"Absolutely freaking nuts!"

Most of them burst out laughing at the apt description, especially coming from someone normally unwilling and unable to say anything like that. With the tension now all but vanished, everyone's spirits were riding high.

Melvinborg stepped out in front of them and turned back around to face them. "Thank you, sister, for making past me change his mind. If it wasn't for you, I would be nothing right now. Anyways..."

He suddenly slapped Hazel on the back, causing her to grunt loudly. "That was a righteous wallop there! I didn't know you had it in you!"

She chuckled nervously. "Uh, thanks. My hand still hurts though." She tried to shake away the pain, but of course that wouldn't do anything. "You mean, we'd both be nothing."

With that, Hazel's brother walked off.

Hazel herself stared after the Doom Dome.

And so ends that very... very weird, never-to-be-repeated or spoken-of-again final exam, Hazel then thought between the horrible flashbacks to the Doom Dome, I actually can't wait to go to Lake Summer Camp, because camp doesn't involve any of that crap.

She briefly wondered what had happened to Grace Wain, who she had travelled back in time with, but figured it was best she didn't know.

With one last suspicious glance and a frustrated sigh, she turned back and ran after her brother.