Some Time During
"What did you just say?"
"Follow me Jade. Let's talk." Althea smiled then walked passed me giving me a gentle pat on my shoulder her hand was warm and comforting it was just a pat and I instantly felt safe with her, it was that strong, but the connection is pure and platonic. The first time I felt that kind of connection to an Althea.
She walked straight to a different room, an office across the dance hall and I followed silently, taking notice of things around me. She sat behind the desk and motioned me to take a seat on the chair in front of her.
"How old are you Jade?" Althea asked
"In this timeline twenty-two. How about you?" I answered subtly looking around the office we are in.
"If I count the years right, I am eighty-five to be exact. But time here in this place stopped. I met my Jade when we were both twenty-five." She smiled looking on a frame on her desk facing her.
"Your Jade?"
"Ahuh, you might be a Jade too, but there's only one Jade for me. And I've been waiting for her here for God only knows how long now."
"You mean - -"
"Yes. I am 2015 Althea and I am waiting for 2015 Jade who happened to be caught up in some traffic." She humoured as she reached for the frame in front of her and turned it for me to see. There's a picture of a family on it, there's mid-thirties Althea and Jade with the twelve year old boy in front of them.
"My family. He's Paulo Gabriel our son." Althea said proudly and I took note of the name of the boy.
"We, I mean - - I'm here to save you." I stuttered and she smiled
"I know, I'm expecting you. But I don't need you to save me. I need you for some other thing."
"Why not? How did you know about me being here to save you? And what some other thing?"
"I don't need saving Jade, this has been the best lifetime for me. I found my Jade at the right time yes, there were challenges and we even waited for years before we achieved our happy ever after but it came, eventually. After 500 years of struggling to be with her. Now, I need you to find your own timeline Jade, the Althea on your timeline is waiting for you. I can't be with my wife if you don't find your way back."
"My way back?"
"Yes, you've been there on the right timeline before, but you got lost."
"How did you know?"
"You're here because of me and my wife and your Althea happened to be my granddaughter." Althea said and I feel my head throb violently along with the rapid painful beating of my heart and Althea started to blur.
"Jade? Jade honey?"
"Love? What happened?"
"You tell me what happened, one minute I was holding the letter and then you held my hands and in a blink of an eye you were gone with the letter. And then after almost an hour I was in the kitchen then I heard you grunt when I looked you're here on the couch."
"That's why."
"What do you mean?"
"2015 Althea talked to me."
"Really? How did she do that?"
"I don't know either, when I got there, we're in a dance studio and I thought I lost you because you disappeared, but then when I roamed around trying to look for you she's there waiting for me."
"What did she tell you?"
"She said she was expecting me, she thanked me for saving her in her other lifetimes and that she needs me to find the real timeline because my Althea is waiting for me there."
"How did she know all that?"
"She said, I was lost because of her and her wife Jade, and that my Althea is her granddaughter, and their son was named Paulo Gabriel."
"Jesus. Wow. Fuck. What the fuck!" Althea exclaimed after I finished explaining what happened.
"Did she tell you how you're going to find the real timeline?"
"No she didn't have the chance to do so. But she told me that she doesn't get to be with her wife yet if I don't find the way to somehow get back on that timeline or even send a message across."
"There's one more thing we need to do before we find a way to get back on the right timeline, we need to understand our family tree."
Some Time After
"Wow. Wait. What am I doing here?" I wondered when I suddenly found myself in my condo in the middle of talking with Althea and when I tried going back my power's not working.
"Damn it!" I cursed as I walk all over the place because no matter what I do, I can't get back. So I decided to just take a break, I took a long hot shower and ate what food I could find on my fridge.
After eating I tried to travel one more time but I couldn't and I was already getting scared, thinking what if I didn't know that my power is not unlimited and that I used it all up. I was slowly being crept out of the thoughts of not being able to see Althea on the other side or Althea on the right one anymore.
It was around five in the afternoon when I decided to take a nap, good thing rest easily found me and my eyes voluntarily closed themselves a few minutes after my back hit the soft cushions of my bed.
"Dad I think it's time now."
"No, she's not leaving us. No."
"Dad what if that's the right thing for us to do? What if someone's already waiting for her? And she just can't let go because of us? Because of you, because you're still not accepting the fact that - -"
"I promised mom that I'll take care of her - -"
"But it's now time for us to let her go."
"No, not yet."
"Dad."
"No and that's final."
"Oh thank good Lord you're awake. You scared me."
"What am I doing here?"
"We should be having dinner remember? But when I knocked on your door, you're not answering, I thought you fell asleep, and I was right but Jade I tried waking you up for half an hour and you just didn't budge. So I panicked."
"I was unresponsive?"
"Yes, and your nose was bleeding, I thought you overdosing on something. I thought you're - -" She stalled
"You thought I was what?"
"Drugged?"
"What?"
"Sorry I was thinking of the worst case scenario, I thought you were OD-ying. But the doctor said you're just a bit too tired, it's almost a case of over-fatigue."
"So can we go home now?"
"Are you sure you're feeling fine?"
"Yes, please take me home, I hate hospitals."
"I know, right okay, I'll just settle your bills, go get dressed and meet me out in the reception?"
"Okay. Thanks." I smiled
"You still owe me dinner, we'll eat out okay?"
"Sure." I nodded before I proceed to the comfort room.
After getting dressed I tried finding my way to the reception area Althea told me, I was still a bit wobbly maybe because of the medication they gave me. I was roaming my eyes around trying to find the exit when I saw a vision of a hospital room with audible machine sounds, Althea was inside and a guy approached her and they hugged. I took a seat on the bench outside one of the rooms for a minute when I felt my head throbbed and my heart raced. I don't even know what's happening to me and then it suddenly stopped. The vision, the throbbing and the rapid heart rate, then I was feeling normal again. I stood up and find my way to Althea who was waiting for me by the reception.
"Hey what took you so long?" Althea concerned, caressing my cheek and the warmth of her touch is what I exactly needed right now.
"You're pale, are you sure you're fine?" Althea asked cupping my face with both her hands now.
"I- - I'm fine." I smiled
"Come on then, let's have dinner." She said as we walked out of the building.
Althea drove us to our favorite restaurant and for the first time in the span of me waking up in this timeline we had a normal dinner and conversation like how we used to be when we we're younger.
"Now you're laughing and your face looks like a ripe tomato!" Althea beamed, we were leaning on the hood of her car somewhere only Althea knows, overlooking the skyline and the city lights. We're both holding half empty beer cans.
"But really that was hilarious." I said still giggling.
"I know! We should go back to that comedy bar some other time, they're good." Althea nodded
"So what's going on with you Jade?" Althea added before finishing her can.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what is going on with you Jade? That's what I mean."
"I don't know actually. To be honest, the past few days has been chaotic for me and I am no longer sure of what's real and what's not." I vaguely answered
"That Australia trip changed you huh." Althea commented
"Yeah I guess so."
"You're not planning of leaving for good right? Or migrating?"
"Why do you say that?"
"I don't know, it just feel like you're going away for good one of these days." Althea said, voice thick of worry and sadness.
"I am not leaving okay, don't fret. Everything will be okay soon, everything will okay in the end." I smiled and although still hesitant she did too.
After a few more minutes of hanging-out in Althea's private sightseeing place, we drove back to the city and called it a night. After another quick shower I tried travelling again but it was still isn't working. I am already worried sick of what's happening on the other side, I know Althea's worrying about me and I couldn't go to her no matter how I wanted to.
That night I cried myself to sleep, my heart's sinking with the feeling of missing Althea so much my thoughts are almost deranged. It was around two in the morning when I felt sleep settling in my system and I just let myself go. But as I closed my eyes in the view of Althea and me on a framed photograph on my bedside table I opened them again in a dream.
I was in the middle of a grand ballroom fit for a mansion or a castle, I was wearing my pyjamas and there were people around me, people whose faces I couldn't see because they're in the shadows. I was about to run towards the door but I bumped into someone.
"Wow wait you're not leaving Jade."
"Althea?" I asked seeing Althea wearing a maiden clothing, hair pulled up in a bun.
"Ahuh." She smiled as she pulled me into a waltz.
"What are we doing here?" I asked as she glided us around the circular halo of the spotlight.
"The question Jade is what are you doing here." Althea she chuckled
"What do you mean?" I asked, but instead of answering me she twirled me around and I was welcomed by another Althea. She's wearing a black trench coat with a shoulder length hair.
"Hi Jade, I'm glad to see you, thank you for saving me from yourself." She said as we continued with the dance.
"What am I doing here? Am I suppose to be here?" I asked but she just smiled at me, and twirled me around and as I spun another set of arms took me.
"My Lady." Althea from the cliff's edge greeted me.
"I think I am lost, I need you to help me." I pleaded as we continued to dance, but she just smiled and shook her head.
"Why aren't you taking me seriously? Why are we dancing? Why am I here?!" I shouted and the music stopped and the spotlight of the halo died, and when I looked around there were more than a dozen Althea around me, and I can't help but cry.
"I just need one. My Althea." I cried looking at them as they circled around me.
"I am Althea." They all answered and the place vibrated of their voices.
"I need the real one! Please?" I asked but they just got closer to me, closer and closer until they're almost about to engulf me.
So I crouch down and closed my eyes, I prepared myself for pain but then there was silence and when I opened my eyes, I was in front of a mansion. It was a sunny day, I was now wearing a pink collared dress, which I don't remember owning. I roamed my eyes to see how humongous the property was. I saw a few luxurious cars and a big bike.
I walked towards the elevated staircase of the mansion leading to the double door entrance. When I reached the top step one of the doors automatically opened which jolted me back a bit. But then my curiousity won me over. I entered the Richie Rich looking mansion only to see furnitures covered with white cloths.
I saw the living room with the grand piano, and a painted portrait of a husband and a wife who resembles Althea at some point. I reached a library, still filled with books. And then I heard a noise outside startling me. I instantly followed where the noise was coming from and then I thought I saw someone disappeared by the door on the far end of the cold empty hallway.
I was battling with myself whether to walk down the hallway or just get out of the mansion. And run for my life. But there's another noise, a sound of a door shutting and I just decided to bolt right away. I then found myself standing in front of a door to the basement.
The door was ajar, so I slowly pushed it open and found a stairs leading somewhere dark, I was getting more and more scared of my surroundings but more than being scared there's a part of me that's pushing me to go and have the guts to descend the unlit stairs.
And so without anymore choices left, I took a step down the stairs and when I did an automatic light came on. I was amazed of what just happened but I was more astounded of the hallway of paintings of my face on the walls leading to another door on the right.
I saw different era of Jade in different paintings until the last one, it was a black and white photograph of Jade on her wedding gown, and I recalled that look of her back in the 1915 wedding. When I reached the end of the hallway I turned right to another door and I saw more memories of Althea and Jade. But when I touched something there a sudden change of place happened and I was at the entrance of a familiar tunnel like canopy of pine trees and greenery.
And then I saw someone walking towards the tunnels end, someone familiar, someone who looked like Althea. So I followed her, from a brisk walk I pulled into a full sprint to keep up with her.
"Althea!" I called out when she stopped by the end of the tunnel, but she didn't turn to face me, she just stared at the explosion of the strong colors of yellow in front of her and when I reached her I was welcomed by sunflower fields.
"Althea?" I called out again, and that's only then I realized that she's shorter than I was, meaning she's younger.
"Althea honey?" I tried calling out again I was then standing beside her, we're both facing the sunflower fields, I heard her sniffling, so I looked at her.
"Dear?" I called out one more time, and from looking out in the fields of full bloom flowers. She looked up to me with tears in her eyes, her small face and younger features confirmed her age to me.
"Ama Jade?" She asked with a hopeful smile.