See You Yesterday

Chapter 25: Charlie

'I've often lost myself, in order to find the burn that keeps everything awake.'- Federico Garcia Lorca.
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Darkness confines me.

"Charlie," Gale whispers, yet I do not move. "Charlie!" She says again, shaking me.

I stir and moan, reluctantly getting up. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," she whispers.

"What happened?" I ask, shivering.

"You grabbed my hand and we came here. You blacked out, and I don't know why. The only thing I can think of is if the past has been affected, it's ripped us out of where we were completely," she explains.

"So you think we've made a tear in time?" I ask.

"Quite possibly," she replies.

I reach to pull my hoodie tighter around me, but realise it is not there. A heavy wave of regret hits me when I remember I gave it to Derythian upon my arrival in Xenia. I grip my arms instead, rubbing them. "Why is it so cold?"

"Winter?" Gale offers.

The wind whips wildly around us, rustling the ragged, rough leaves on the branches of the trees as the cold continues to creep up my spine, scraping the skin.

Gruff voices are audible not far from where we are standing in the dark.

"This is dangerous," one voice says.

"What if we get caught?" Another says.

There is silence before someone else speaks, unmistakably the leader.

"We won't," he assures the others. "It's time we pay the supernaturals back. Letting the faeries in and not us... They will pay. They will pay with their leader."

"How will we get inside the mansion?" Asks a female with a squeaky voice.

"You," says the leader.

"Me?" She squeals in shock.

"Yes. You are smaller than all of us. You will be able to get through a gap between the bars of the mansion gate, and unlock it for us."

"But I'm too wide, I'll get stuck, I'll-"

"That's not important right now," snaps the other voice.

"Sir?" another voice asks.

"What?" He answers irritably.

"The plan is great and all, but we're forgetting one small thing," he tells him.

"And what might that be?"

"How do we even get into Xenia? He says.

"You fool!" The leader screams.

"What?!" He cries.

"We aren't normals, you idiot. We can go through the barrier."

"Okay," he replies uneasily. "How will we take the powers then?"

"We take his hands. Without his hands, he can't do magic," the leader replies.

"Won't that hurt?" Someone says.

The leader sighs. "I have a simul contact inside Xenia. They will dope him up before we attack. They will help us, and then we'll leave. It'll be like we were never there."

"But won't they get into trouble?" Someone asks.

"Possibly, if they're caught," the leader answers. "Besides, they have been planning to flee for some time now. Things in Xenia aren't good after the betrayal today. I think we're going to be doing them a favour."

Gale looks at me, hands over her mouth.

"This meeting is adjourned; we take action in 2 years time, which will go in the blink of an eye for us. Let David start to bring himself down in that time. And we'll give him the final push. Meanwhile, I want all eyes on Xenia. Report back to me if anything happens that you think I should know about."

And then into the light steps a horde of squat, chubby creatures with sharp pointed out noses and big ears; their purple eyes dead, and their purple armour deep.

"Goblins!" I hear Gale cry beside me.

The horde splits and they all go in their different directions.

"They're going to steal David's powers," Gale states in a breathy whisper.

"So what? It's already happened. We've already made a rip in time. We can't do anything, Gale," I say slowly and cautiously.

"Nobody knew who took David's powers, Charlie. Most supernaturals believe him dead, but few of us in the simul know that he is out there somewhere, in the normal world. Now we know who took them."

"Why are you so intrigued?" I ask her.

"Because my parents were very close to David before..." She stops, looking away.

But she doesn't do it quick enough because I saw the pain that flashed across her face.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

She sighs. "My parents are dead, Charlie. They were in the same explosion as Derythian's parents. I just... I haven't thought about it in forever and now, them talking about David just reminds me of them and..."

"Yeah?" I ask, unaware of what to do.

"Oh, I hate those cruel, foul, little creatures!" She sobs.

"Why?"

"It's their fault my godfather is going to lose everything. It's their fault I lost the closest thing I had to family left."

"Wait!" I say. "So David is your..."

"Yes," she says. "He's my godfather. And that means the title of leader is rightly mine."

"But Alexander..."

Gale looks up silently. "He stole it from me."