They landed hard in the middle of an alleyway and Camden crumpled to the floor, his hand falling from Landyn's grasp. He was trying to absorb as much of Landyn's pain as he could, but he heard him yelp and knew his hand was burned.
"'Ere, lemme look at it," Camden tried to struggle to his feet, but his knee gave out and he fell again. Landyn's hands landed on his shoulders and he helped him up. They leaned for a moment against the wall, gasping for breath.
Landyn's left palm was blistered where he'd been touching Camden. The old scars burned bright, and steam seemed to lift from them.
Camden was in much worse shape. His hands were both blisters, and angry red marks ran up his arms and down his back. Steak definitely lifted from him, and he was sure his clothes would be burnt if it weren't for the pixies' excellent craftsmanship.
Camden felt dizzy and weak, his forehead sweaty. Landyn looked pale and concerned, and probably felt rather weak as well.
"What happened?" Landyn asked, finally catching his breath.
"'Xactly what I was 'fraid of," Camden replied. He sighed and ran a hand through his thick, brown hair.
"What do you mean?" Landyn crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Camden.
"Landyn, you know how violently you react to time travel," Camden eyes his partner warily.
"I haven't reacted badly in years!" Landyn threw his arms up in exasperation and scoffed. "Why now?"
"You always react badly," Camden admitted. "I usually absorb the pain, but we've never made such a 'uge jump together. This was just too much. I'm sorry. I couldn't take it all. It's my fault you're blistered. This is why I didn't wanna bring ya."
"You mean every time we teleport together, you get hurt?" Landyn's eyes shone with angry tears. He gritted his teeth together and blinked them back, staring fiercely at Camden.
"Not bad," Camden shrugged. "Just some blisterin' that I can us'ally will to go away. I didn't wanna worry you."
"I can't believe you kept this from me!"
"I was tryin' to protect you," Camden argued. "I didn't wantcha to feel bad. I didn't- I didn't wantcha to fink it was a sign we shouldn't be together."
"I would not have thought that," Landyn protested. His vivid green eyes glowed with a pain Camden had never seen before. He sunk to his knees. "I can't believe I've been hurting you all this time. Three years and you've never let on about it. We're sixteen, Cam. You're seventeen in two weeks! Don't you think we're too old to keep such huge secrets?"
Camden hung his head in shame. He knew Landyn would react this way. He hated making him cry, but he could hear the soft sobs now, bringing tears to his own eyes.
"I'm so sorry," his voice cracked painfully. "I didn't wantcha to worry. I- I'll never keep somethin' like this from you again."
Landyn wiped his eyes and got shakily to his feet, sucking in a raspy, pained breath. He set his jaw and eyed his blundering bafoon of a boyfriend.
"It's not a big deal," he lied. "Let's get to that damn Starbucks."
"Right, so," Camden glanced around warily, his voice still thick with apology, "what exactly is a Starbucks?"
Landyn shrugged and took Camden's hand, but that proved painful and they both winced apart. The blisters on their hands didn't seem to be going down just yet. They walked out of the alley inconspicuously and stopped someone on the pavement.
"Excuse us," Landyn smiled politely. "Do you know where the Starbucks is?"
"Which one?" the woman asked, flipping her hair out of her face and rolling her eyes. She seemed to be chewing something as well, but she seemed keen to simply chew it without swallowing.
"Err, the one of Vixen and 3rd," Landyn offered. Camden didn't speak. He was still quite insecure about his common slang and accent.
"About a block that way," she pointed vaguely. "Just keep going until you see Vixen, and turn left onto that street and keep going till the first corner. You oughtta watch your back, though, bucko. Not everyone here is as nice as me."
"That's considered nice, here?" Landyn asked once they were out of earshot. Camden simply shrugged and continued following the woman's instructions. Moments later, they were standing by a brick building with large, glass windows and a green logo over the door.
"Is this it?" Camden asked, staring up at the coffee shop.
"If you're asking if this is the Starbucks I mentioned in my letter, then yes, this is it," a high-pitched, dignified voice sounded from behind them, startling Camden. He fell back into Landyn and they hit the ground with an "oof."
"Madam Serenity?" Landyn asked, struggling to his feet and helping Camden up.
"Indeed," Serenity nodded, a small smile at her lips. "I see you have brought the Cursed One with you, and you have waited longer than anticipated to answer my call." She spoke with an American accent, but with the grace of the most honorable English noble.
She was a tall woman, with light brown skin and dark brown eyes. Her hair fell in tight, close curls around her face, hanging to her shoulders. She wore a red suit jacket and matching pencil skirt, with pointed red heels and a white undershirt. Around her neck hung a large, golden locket with the initials C.E.S.
"What's it matter?" Camden asked. "I've still met ya on the day you asked for. And whaddaya mean by Cursed One?"
"Landyn," Serenity smiled. "The Cursed One. He's actually the reason I requested you here today."
Camden and Landyn exchanged a glance and waited for this mysterious woman to continue. She led them into the coffee shop, to a small table in the corner. Then she glanced around as if making sure no one were listening.
"Sometimes," she began, "when a person's life is changed by time and then changed back, they become touched by time. Both of you are touched by time. It's a rather unique circumstance to have two of such close proximity be such opposites of the time spectrum, but I suppose it isn't impossible."
"Everyone's lives were changed and then changed back, though," Camden pointed out. "Why isn't Finn touched by time? Or me mum or Charles? Or anyone associated wiv the schoo'?"
"Finn is very lucky to be immune to the powers of time," Serenity explained. "No amount of changing will ever touch him. Your mum, in turn, is very averse to magic. She doesn't believe, and therefore is not affected. As for your brother, Charles, he was touched, in probably the worst way."
"Whaddaya mean?" Camden asked, inching closer to Landyn unconsciously.
"In your original timeline, Charles was born healthy," Serenity smiled sadly. "He didn't grow sick. He was happy and strong. His curse is a time deficiency. He cannot live without being around the manipulation of time. Camden, you are the one who kept him alive. If not for you, he would have died before the age of three."
"That can't be!" Camden protested. "'E got better wivvout me! While I was at the schoo', 'e was gettin' stronger."
"It was a short burst of energy caused by his visit to the school," Serenity shook her head. "After a while, he would have regressed, especially if you hadn't come back for him."
"Well, why can't he simply manipulate time on his own?" Landyn asked, leaning forward.
"He doesn't possess the power." Serenity brushed the hair from her eyes. "It's a very rare power, only possessed by three people in the history of the time continuum. We call them Experts."
"'O're they?" Camden asked skeptically.
"Yourself, Rodney, and me," Serenity smiled. "We have power over time itself."
"You said Camden and I are on opposite sides of the time spectrum." Landyn narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "What did you mean?"
"Ah, yes," Serenity sucked in a breath. "This is even rarer than Experts. We call them Cursed Ones. There has only been one other in the history of the time continuum. She died just before she turned eighteen, in the year 1036."
Landyn sucked in a breath. "Get to the point. Am I in danger, or something? Is that why we're here?"
"Not quite," Serenity sighed. "You're here for multiple reasons, one of which, yes, is your curse. Allow me to explain it.
"You are allergic to the manipulation of time. This is why you develop blisters and hives when you Jump. It's a bit difficult to explain, but essentially, your body absorbs the energy used in the Jump, but can't process it. An Expert can channel and absorb whatever pain you would otherwise experience, but such a large Jump as the one you've just been through is too much for one Expert to absorb.
"As well as this, you can't exist outside of your own time for extended periods of time. Your health will begin to deteriorate and you will eventually perish."
"What?!" Camden jumped up, drawing all eyes to him. He smiled sheepishly and sat back down before continuing in a whisper. "You mean to tell me that Landyn could die 'ere? Ya shoulda led wiv that. We're leaving!"
"Don't fret," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I am stabilizing him for the time being, and you are too, unconsciously. Have you not noticed the blisters getting worse over your skin? Or the hives popping up around my wrists?"
Camden glanced at his blistered arms and studied them. They did seem worse, and there were more of them. He looked down at Serenity's hands. She was right; there were hives developing on her wrist. Meanwhile, Landyn seemed to be in the same state he'd been when they arrived. He was still blistered and hurt, but it hadn't gotten any worse.
"You see?" Serenity raised her eyebrows. "He's perfectly safe for the time being. What I'm trying to tell you is that Landyn's body rejects time-based magic. The scars around his fingers are proof of that."
Landyn touched the scar self consciously, as if debating whether to be embarrassed or proud of what he'd been through. Camden reached over and grabbed his hand reassuringly. It was a nice gesture, and neither of them pulled away despite the pain brought to them when they touched.
"It is incredible that you two can be so close without the Cursed One suffering serious consequences." Serenity eyed their hands suspiciously. "Well, let's move on, shall we? What I'm really here to discuss is the war."
"What war?" Landyn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why, the war on time!" Serenity scoffed. "You mean to tell me that you two are so involved with time and still don't know of the Continuum Wars?"
She rolled her eyes at their blank expressions, taking the edge off her otherwise refined persona. She seemed younger in that moment.
"Fine," she rubbed her temples, "I'll give you a quick crash course. The Continuum Wars started, well, there isn't an exact year because they span the entire length of time. They've been going on for a long while, though, and those you have control over time must work to protect the time continuum. By altering your life and making you an Expert, Rodney has passed that responsibility onto you.
"The wars were started by a group of greedy people called the Thieves. Of course, they don't call themselves this, but we've been known to refer to them as such. They want to control time. They plan to take over the world by taking over the time continuum. He who owns time, owns the world. The leader of these people is Cristopher Cane, a man native to the 16th century.
"He seeks to find the Sands of Time, which is where Rodney found the power to travel through time. Now, Rodney was a fluke, but he knew how to use his newfound power and he distinctly believed in the freedom of all people. He joined the war effort as soon as he learned of the war's existence. Cane has no such cause. He is driven by greed and a desire for power. He seeks to enslave all of mankind by simultaneously taking over every time period at once.
"If he succeeds at this, he will become all powerful."
Serenity let that settle over the three of them before smiling and standing up. "Okay, let's get some coffee, then!"