A few lights turn on and I see someone peeking through a window. I turn to walk back to Sawyer but he's gone.
I watch as the front door flies open and an elderly man walks out, turning on the light from outside.
"Do you have any idea what time it is, girl?" The man grumpily tells me and I nod no. I look around for Sawyers, but I don't see him.
"Well it's too damn late. What are you doing out here?" He says and I see someone standing behind him, I think it's his wife.
"I think I'm lost, is it okay if I use your phone?" I question.
"No. Now go home." The man says and he shuts the door.
Note to self: don't bother people so late.
I walk back down to the side walk when I hear clapping from behind me.
"That was entertaining to watch. Laughed a few times." I hear Sawyer behind me. I sit on the side of the curb, ignoring him.
"Not everyone is going to lend a helping hand. You can't trust everyone you meet and you certainly cant think that everyone has your best interest at heart because they don't. People look out for only themselves." Sawyer lectures me, he sits down beside me.
"All I'm hearing is I shouldn't trust you.." I bite back, my hand on my chin. I don't think I sound audible. I need sleep.
Sawyer doesn't flinch at the harshness of my words, instead he smiles.
"And yet here you are."
"What time is it?" I change the subject. I watch as Sawyer takes out the pocket watch and my eyes widen.
"Almost four."
I don't listen to the time, all my focus on the watch.
"Evan is on his way.." I hear Sawyer far away, my eyes glued to the watch.
"Talk." Sawyer demands as soon as he notices I'm tuned out.
"So when you travel in...travel in time."
Sawyer laughs, knowing that this topic would come up eventually. I keep my voice quiet, and I look back to see if the old grumpy man is still watching. He isn't.
"You're a..." I find it hard to say time traveler. I don't know how any of this stuff works.
"Masafir alwaqt." (Arabic: Time traveler)
"What?"
"That's what they would call me if I were in Egypt."
"How many languages do you know?" I question.
"A few..." He coughs into his shirt and I nod.
"How does it work?"
"I don't know. Trying to figure it out myself. I do know that going back in time and trying to change something doesn't help. We can't change the past."
"Explain?"
"Ok, hmm, it's like when you watch a movie and it plays in a loop. That's kind of how going back in time is. We are just interrupting the string of time, watching things play out. We can interact with everyone but as soon as we leave it slings back to being played out."
I nod trying to follow his explanation,
"So, say I go back in time and I stop I don't know, Hitler from doing bad things, at that moment it will stop, but as soon as I leave, everything Hitler did will stay play out?" I explain it back to him in a way I understand.
CHAPTER 14
Start from the beginning
