"Ma'am? Ma'am!"
I don't know what woke me up, someone calling to me or the pain surging through my bones.
But whatever it was, I jerked awake and gasped for air, grateful that I was able to breathe again. My muscles were sore but it wasn't as bad as it had been before I passed out and I could see clearly again. Well... at least after I focused my vision on the face staring down at me.
I suddenly jumped and scooted away on my elbows, frightened even though the face was actually quite handsome.
My back hit a wall but I was too weak to stand to my feet so I just stared at the boy in front of me.
He was young, not much older than me, and stared back with concerned eyes. His hair, jet black and slightly messy as if he had been running his fingers through it, hung freely just above his eyebrows and went perfect with his eye color, crystal blue.
He looked like any school girl's dream boy. The only thing that threw me off was what he was wearing.
A white button-up collar shirt, black dress pants, and some old timey black shoes. Oxfords maybe?
He didn't seem dressed for a special occasion but instead, just for a casual day. Or maybe for some type of history project.
I took a quick glance at my surroundings and noticed we were in some kind of alley way. It was dark out and I could see the faint glow of a street lamp just around the corner.
But something was off.
Everything looked so... old. Like... "back in the day" old.
I could make out the sign of a market not too far away that looked like something you'd see bought on Pawn Stars, with its old looking font and make.
I saw no cars, nor heard any.
The shops I could see had no lights, no everyday clothes in the windows, no... modern anything.
Where was I? Some kind of Amish town?
No city lights were gleaming anywhere and the street lamp looked quite... old, too.
I looked back at the boy and squinted with confusion, wondering how I even ended up here. We both stared questioningly in silence at one another, as if waiting for the other to speak.
Thankfully, he did.
"Ma'am... are you okay? What happened to you?" he asked, holding his hands out reassuringly. His voice sounded as masculine as he looked. Manly, yet boyish at the same time. It was hard not to notice how his shirt fit him perfectly, showing off the fact that he probably worked out.
"Where am I?" I asked, ignoring his question and looking around again.
The boy hesitated before answering, as if wondering if I'd lost my mind. "Boston...," he said, "Massachusetts."
The air in my lungs caught again as I looked around frantically.
This couldn't be Boston. I've never heard of an Amish town in Boston.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" he chanced again, seeming strangely concerned about my well being. I was still looking around when sudden realization hit me.
"What year is it?"
"Huh?" the boy asked, pinching his eyebrows in confusion. "Ma'am, are you sure..."
"What year is it?!" I questioned more urgently this time. By now, I was sure he already thought I was insane.
And right now, I thought I was too.
He took a cautious step back and looked down, his concern fading into suspicion. I was waiting for him to run away and leave me sitting in the cold and dark by myself.
But he didn't.
"1903," he answered after a few seconds. "Now are you-"
I cut him off with a loud and frightened gasp. No way. No way. No way. This was all a joke, right? Mom and Dad dragged me to this Amish town and hired this boy to play along with the magic-time-traveling-coin, right? This was all fake. It had to be.
I began to laugh slightly and leaned my head on the brick wall behind me.
"Alright this is funny and all but you can cut the act. I'm sure my parents will still pay you, though," I said to the boy who didn't look at all amused. He squinted even more and blinked a few times as if trying to comprehend what I was saying.
"Lady, I'm sorry to interrupt whatever mental party you're having right now but I found you unconscious and bleeding. I think you may need a doctor. Would you like me to take you to one?" he asked more urgently with less sympathy than before.
I stopped laughing and felt my chest tighten.
This guy was serious.
"Is it really 1903?" I mumbled, glancing around at the old looking town that belonged in one of those black and white films.
He nodded slowly.
Whatever sanity was left in my mind came crashing down and the absurd thoughts began to flow through.
The coin, the book, the journal entries. They were all real?
I shifted my weight and noticed I was still holding the coin in my palm. Staring at it dumbfounded, I flipped it over and stared at the date "1903" imprinted on the back.
No way.
Does that mean the supernaturals were real, too? The Abominations? The broken spell and my twisted bloodline? The Freelancers? What about Galendale, the wizard?
Was it all... actually real?
The coin was shoved into my pocket to avoid any more suspicion from the boy as he stepped closer and squatted next to me. "You really shouldn't be out here this late at night. I know a buddy of mine who can get you fixed up in no time. Please, come with me," he begged.
I looked down at my palm that was bleeding even more than before as well as my shoulder, foot, and shin. It wasn't until then that I realized how much worse the pain radiating from them was.
I met the boy's eyes again and flushed at his kindness, especially towards a strange girl that he could've left lying in an alley way.
"That'd be very kind of you," I said, reluctantly agreeing to go with him.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
I remembered back in the attic when I'd tried to limp back to the stairs and how much pain that caused my foot.
I shook my head slowly and hugged myself tighter.
A deep, thoughtful sigh escaped his lips as he examined our surroundings. "Come on," he finally said, "I'll help you."
One of his strong arms slipped around my waist and another pulled my arm (the one without the bleeding palm) around his neck. I blushed slightly at his sudden display of intimacy, knowing I had never been this close to a boy my age before.
And yes, I've been single my whole life. I partially blame my eye color for that.
"So, what's your name?" the boy asked as we began a slow "walk" down the alley.
"Isabella," I answered. "Bella for short."
He nodded slowly and repeated the name in a mumble, as if savoring the taste of it on his tongue.
"Bella..."
I liked the way he said it.
"I'm Kayden, but everyone calls me Kade," he introduced himself, giving a slight nod of his head. I nodded in return and looked ahead of us towards the dimly lit street, pondering to myself.
If everything I read and saw in the attic was true and the coin in my pocket really sent me back in time to 1903, how am I supposed to get back? How am I supposed to get home?
I swallowed hard, looking around to see if we were being followed by any half naked, cannibalistic creatures or magical people wanting to turn us into animals.
All was good... so far.
Kade and I limped out onto the sidewalk aligning the street and towards the right, where more buildings were tightly condensed.
The street was pretty vacant, making me wonder why Kade was out here by himself. He was the one who mentioned I shouldn't be out here this late at night so what was his excuse? And did he give me that warning because he possibly knew something about the supernaturals?
I decided it was best if I didn't ask. He probably already thought I was totally bonkers.
So we walked in silence for awhile... an eerie silence, actually. I was trying to avoid letting my paranoia get a hold of me since I was sure Kade would get suspicious if I continually glanced over my shoulder. My thoughts deepened as I began wondering if there were still any supernaturals around in the modern world... or in this case, the future. Based on my grandmother's journal, I'd think so.
And that thought didn't make me feel any better about going back.
A few more moments of silence passed before I heard Kade clear his throat for a conversation starter.
"So?" he began. "You mind telling me why you're dressed so strangely?" He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and looked down. I also looked down at my outfit, realizing I was still wearing my black hoodie, along with a pair of navy blue jeans, and a pair of black Converses.
I guess it would look strange to him.
I smiled to myself and compared our outfits, over a one hundred year difference in style. He seemed slightly amused too, but obviously not by the same reason.
"It's a long story I don't care to explain," I replied, my smile fading slightly. He seemed to get the hint and looked ahead again, tightening his arm around my waist for my own benefit.
"Then what about the reason you were lying in an alley way, unconscious and bleeding?" he asked more seriously this time.
"Another long story," I answered.
Again, the two of us fell into awkward silence.
I was surprised at how confidently he carried himself, as if he thought we were the safest people in the world. Unlike me who constantly had the urge to, he didn't turn around once or slow down to check out every little sound.
He must walk these streets alone often. That gave me a little confidence booster.
The next sound I heard was just a small scratching noise, a stray cat maybe, and I thought nothing of it this time, presuming Kade would do the same. But we suddenly came to a abrupt stop and turned down another alley way, one that led to a dead end.
I felt my chest tighten with fear and wondered if this was because of that sound or for some other (good) reason.
Kade set me down next to one of the brick walls, worry spreading across his face, and looked over his shoulder at the street. His hands balled into fists.
"Kade? What's wrong?" I asked, looking in the same direction as him and thinking maybe he saw something I didn't.
A few long seconds passed before he decided to answer. "I heard a noise."
"We've been hearing noises."
"This noise was different."
He walked cautiously to the entrance of the alley and peered down both ways of the street; two times each. Nothing was said.
But based on his sudden tension, I knew something was wrong.
It seemed like forever before he began a brisk walk back to me, more worry in his eyes than before.
And right now, I could see a hint of anger too.
He was about to reach out an offering hand to me before a loud, sudden screech, a horrifying and deafening one, sounded above us. We both looked up, me covering my ears as the screech grew louder.
But before I could focus on whatever made the noise, a dark figure, the size of a small man, came crashing down on top of Kade.
And sprouting from its back were a pair of large bat-like wings.