Zari and Amaya

The Time Traveler

Prompt: Amaya tells Esi a bedtime story about the rebellious time traveler 

"Esi, come. It's time for bed." Amaya says as pulls Esi onto her bed.

"Tell me a story, Mommy." Esi quips.

"Okay. What would you like to hear?" Amaya ask as she helps her daughter in her bed.

Esi shrugs as she finally settles down. Amaya lets out a soft chuckle.

"Let me tell you about a time traveler, a rebellious one." Amaya smiles sadly.

Esi smiles and nods with a excitement. 

"You cannot tell anyone this story. This only for us Esi, you understand? Not even Papa." Amaya says quickly. 

"I promise, now tell me." Esi agrees quickly. 

"Once upon a time, there was this beautiful tan skin time traveler. She was bit of rebel, but she had a good heart, a great heart." Amaya smiles fondly.

"What was her name?" Esi wonders. 

"Zari Tomaz." Amaya grins.

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"Already in bed? Suspicious, no?" Amaya grins.

"I wanna hear more, Mommy." Esi pleads.

"Okay, okay, okay. Zari is from the future." Amaya states.

"Woah." Esi gasp. 

"2042, to be exact." Amaya smirks.

"Double woah." Esi gasp again.

"She's a genius, like a super super genius. You know how sometimes you get really tough math problems in school?" Amaya says.

"Yeah?" Esi ask.

"She could solve those easily. No problem, she wouldn't even need paper maybe." Amaya says.

"That is so cool." Esi whispers.

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"Mommy?" Esi ask after Amaya finish telling another story about Zari the Time Traveler. 

"Yes, Esi?" Amaya ask.

"Is she real?" Esi ask.

Amaya visibly tenses up, mind trying to come up with an answer.

"She's real to me. And maybe she's even real to you. That's all that matters. She's like a dream, a crazy concoction of reality and fantasy." Amaya sighs.

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:

Esi was inside the house alone, while her Amaya was in the back when she heard what seemed like someone falling against the door. Esi curiously goes to answer the door, seeing a beautiful tan skin girl. The girl sweating and shaking furiously, sweated hair matting her forehead, her body leaning heavily against the door frame, and a hand pushing harshly against her side with red seeping through. 

"Esi." The girl whispers.

"Mommy!" Esi calls.

Amaya comes dashing in, coming to a halting stop when she sees the scene in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I had to come. I had to see you, Amaya." The girl whispers before collapsing to the ground. 

"Zari!" Amaya yelps as she runs down next to her.

"She's real." Esi whispers.

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:

"You're foolish." Amaya whispers harshly.

"Give me a break, I thought I was gonna die." Zari sighs.

"So you go to the Waverider or Time Bureau. Not here, not to me." Amaya says.

"If I'm gonna die, I wanna see you. Not Rory or some stiff in a suit. You. I thought it was romantic." Zari grunts.

"Does bleeding all over my home seem romantic to you?" Amaya deadpan.

"Now that I've heard it out loud, no. Look I'm sorry. A mission went south, I really thought this was it for me. I did. And if I'm gonna leave this Earth, the last thing I want to see is you. Screw the timeline. I love you, okay? I love you, Amaya." Zari sighs.

"How am I suppose to say goodbye to you all over again, Z? It's not fair, love." Amaya says looking at her, tears weld up in her eyes.

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:

"You can talk to me, you know that right?" Zari laughs as she sees Esi peaking into her room again. 

Esi cautiously comes in, closing the door behind her.

"Zari Tomaz." Zari introduces, stretching her hand out to shake.

"You're the girl Mommy tells stories about. The rebellious time traveler, from 2042." Esi gasp.

"I guess I am. And you, are her amazing daughter Esi." Zari smirks.

"What's the future like? What's my future like? Do you know my family in the future?" Esi starts rambling with questions.

"I'll tell you the best advice us time travelers have. You ready?" Zari says, silencing the young girl. 

Esi nods. 

"Live in the moment, cause the future is always changing." Zari smiles softly. 

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/

Esi comes running into the house, already making a beeline for Zari's room. Except, when she comes in, Zari isn't there, just Amaya silently sobbing on the bed.

"Where's the time traveler? Where's Zari?" Esi ask.

"Esi, she had to go back and save the world. She's gone." Amaya says wiping her tears away. 

"But, but I brought my homework. You said she was smart enough, I thought we could do it together." Esi stutters, squeezing the papers in her hand tightly. 

"Esi." Amaya says as she embraces her daughter. 

The two cry together over the time traveling rebel who forever left an impact in their hearts.

Author's Note: not gonna lie, this should be a book. so I could read it and then proceed to cry over it. emotions.