Rewritten

Chapter 9: Deceptions

Memory aid A document or object retained by a rewrite in order to keep track of events in a given reality.

"But I don't have any lectures to teach until three. It's Thursday for god's sake! Half the students were out partying last night while I marked essays." A pause. "Fine. I'll teach the damned lecture, but George owes me." The receiver was slammed down. I could only imagine the peeved look on dad's face. The lecturers at Chelsea had long since stopped booking classes any time before noon on a Thursday since Wednesday nights were often used for society meetings and parties. To a student on a Thursday morning, noon may as well have been a nine a.m. lecture. Since dad was often up early, he usually used the time to work at home on his own studying and marking essays. I'd no idea why he was home this late though. Normally he was on the campus for lunchtime.

   I crept carefully down the steps. With no memory of this house until last week, I still didn't know which steps were the creakiest so I could avoid them. At home -mum's house now -I could easily get up and down the stairs without making a single sound. No such luck here. Halfway down the stairs a deafening groan split the silence, causing dad to come running from the kitchen.

    "Athena?" Surprise flitted across his features. "Where'd you come from?"

    "Um..."

    "I saw you leave for school this morning. Did Connor or Christie drop you off?"

    "Uh... Not really."

    A frown. "So how'd you get in? I've been here since you left."

    "I..." Dad's gaze followed mine down to my wrist, where the timer ticked away. Three minutes of my life lost in the present day. He looked back up at me.

    "What are you rewriting, Athena?"

    "Just something at school..."

    A vein nearly popped out of dad's head. "Are you crazy?!" He yelled.

    I jumped. Dad was rarely this mad, which meant that when I got back to the present I was in trouble. I held up my hands in a stop motion, nervously backing away from him. He only ever yelled when either truly angry or extremely worried about one of his girls. In my case, he could be overprotective as hell since there was always the fear I'd be caught and killed.

    "I have to do this, dad. I left my journal in the library and if a hunter sees it I'm screwed."

    Dad hesitated. "Fine. But make it quick and don't get yourself caught, Athena. I mean it." He spoke through clenched teeth, his anger at the situation obvious.

    I nodded before heading out to the back garden. In the shed were various tools like one would expect, but that was all for show. Tucked behind the barely used lawnmower was a backpack containing things I would need if I didn't want to be recognised. I pulled back my hair and yanked a blonde wig over it, then added a pair of sunglasses for good measure. I'd stand out a little in the humid but sunless weather, but it was worth it if nobody saw me for who I was. Realising that I was still in my cheerleading outfit from the school day, I ran back inside to change before heading out the front door.

    I didn't have Connor or Christie to drive me to school now, so I took the bus -a glance at my watch when I finally got off it showed that I'd been in the past for nearly forty minutes. I scowled and ran into the building, making a beeline for the library. I got some looks for my strange state of dress from students on their lunch breaks, but ignored them. The past me was about to head to the library with Nick behind her, so I needed to get myself in position.