Dating Father Time's Daughter (Book 1)

Chapter 42: Eureka! The Ultimate Defense Revealed!

Joe felt the soreness in his muscles as he pulled open the front door of his house. The Time Keeper's body seemed to rebel against him. He anticipated a long slumber after a disappointing night, but that blissful sleep evaded him. As a result, his body ached and lumbered in retaliation. Nothing ever went according to plan.

He aimed to sleep away the pain of failing to convince Inertia, but unexpected visitors forced him to depart the land of dreams prematurely. Pixie and Sheep assaulted his door with a relentless barrage of knocks. Part of him wanted to scold his friends, but he grew more lenient after remembering the times that they would simply barge into his room. Although loud and aggressive, the knocking was a sign of progress for them both. They were understanding the ways of humans.

The relief he felt at seeing Pixie in a better mood momentarily distracted him from the fatigue that sleep deprivation brought him. His body quickly reminded him, however. He swallowed consecutive glasses of water to assuage his headache while his two friends spoke to him in the kitchen.

Pixie informed him that Father Time had fallen into a deep sleep. It was impossible for Sheep and her to wake him, which meant that they were on their own against the aliens. As Pixie explained the horrors WormHole was now capable of, Joe heard a knock on the front door.

All of the blood drained from his face as soon as he saw her. Inertia stood on his porch with an "Astronomy 101" textbook tucked underneath her arm. The expression, "when one door closes, another door opens," replayed in his mind. He wondered what happened when the door that originally closed becomes the door that opens? What happened when an opportunity thought to be lost, actually finds you?

It seemed that his promise to the Seasons would end up being an empty one. Pixie and Time were nowhere to be found, and Inertia refused his offer. Yet, this was no longer the case as he stepped into the kitchen with Inertia behind him.

All three of his friends were present. Pixie paced around the kitchen holding her scythe behind her back, and Sheep fiddled with a remote that controlled a tiny television sitting on the counter displaying the news. They both paused as Inertia walked in.

Joe touched the sweat beads on his forehead and worried that Pixie's glare was literally melting him. The battle at nirvana was not quickly forgotten. His best-friend stopped Pixie from finishing off BlackHole. He hoped she wasn't holding a grudge. As he desperately thought of something to say, his ears vibrated at the sound of Inertia's voice from behind him.

"I'm here to help" asserted Inertia as she stepped beside Joe, "I want to help you three defeat BlackHole."

Joe longed for this moment. The Inertia he had known his entire life finally returned. He blinked back the tears that were forming in his eyes.

Inertia sauntered to the kitchen table and slammed her Astronomy 101 textbook onto it. Glass cups shook and silverware clattered. She had their undivided attention.

"You don't have much time," continued Inertia, "BlackHole told me that WormHole is going to detonate a nuclear black hole bomb in three days."

Pixie casually twirled her scythe and examined the girl with skeptical eyes, "Why would he tell you their plan? That doesn't make any sense unless he doesn't consider you his enemy. So, what is it? Why is BlackHole so comfortable around you, if you're on our side?"

The question turned Inertia's eyes downward. She searched the cover of the textbook as she formulated a response. The answers lived in the moments she shared with BlackHole. The debates, dates, and kiss, were home to the truth. Slowly, her eyes met Pixie's.

"Because he wanted to protect me," said Inertia.

The faces in the room reacted negatively to her answer. Pixie scowled, Sheep frowned, and Joe's bottom lip trembled. Inertia knew the room was turning against her, but maintained faith in her plan.