Dead Lines

10: We Were Just Getting To That

I did as he asked, keeping my eyes locked with his and blocking everything else out. He took a step closer to me, molding his body against mine in order to get me to relax. It was quick to take hold, whatever he was attempting.

In my mind flashed an image of two clocks. One visibly the future, resembling a stopwatch with how quickly it was ticking. The various changes and choices that were made affecting the speed. The other represented the past, matching a normal clock with its slow pace, nothing about it being able to change or affect it.

My breath began to slow and with it the pace of one of the clocks. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest against mine, already even and normal. The second we both took in a breath at the same time, the hands on both clocks synchronized for a brief moment before the future clock took off again.

In that instant I knew what he was doing. He was placing us both in the present, trying to eliminate for a second both the past and the future. But the pain was still in my head, keeping my heart racing.

Cecil’s hands flexed over mine, his eyes becoming more intense as the life line I associated with our Particulars leaked into his left eye.

The clocks were a half of a second off as I heard the distant sounds of a little girl’s laughter.

Ce! Slow down!

For a moment the image of the clocks was eclipsed by one of my younger self chasing after a young Cecil. Little boy laughter filled in after and I could feel my heart speed back up as I heard what he’d said to me so long ago.

Catch me if you can, Tally!

You’re going too fast! Slow down!

Even though they were my words, I could feel my heartbeat answering my request from the past. He slowed down, just like I remembered and the younger me couldn’t quite slow to match. I blew passed him in the past and in the present, my heart did the same.

Cecil never was one to be out ran or out matched.

Tally!

The clocks came back and it seemed with each footfall he made in the past, the hands on the clocks ticked forward slowly until…

Until.

Cecil didn’t catch me that day. Instead he ended up slamming into me because I did finally slow down. It was how I always imagined us coming together would be like. It would be sudden and quick, not gradual. Neither of us would be able to stop it. We fell, and would always fall, in a tangle of limbs and bodies until we hit the ground, the end.

So when I saw in my mind’s eye the culmination of what happened that day, I knew what would happen with the clocks I was imagining. The hands instantly aligned upon impact of our younger selves, the tick loud and resounding before they both started forward in sync.

Together.

The pain in my head smoothed out before settling into a dull ache.

We had control of the past and present, now it was time to get a hold of the future, whatever vision the mysterious person was trying to force on me. But just as I reached out to snag the vision and examine it, the whole thing was gone. The pain, the vision, all of it. Gone.

Cecil and I released a breath and blinked at the same time, the Particular lines retreating from our eyes.

“What was that?” I asked even though I kinda already knew the answer.

“It was a test, I think.” He slid his hands off mine and into my hair. “Both to see how powerful we are together and the Oracle by herself.”