Word Count: 1665
~Rosie
Time and I left in the next morning.
He needed the night to regain his abilities to take us through time, to where he plans to head next. I keep my disappointment to myself, as the sun rises and I slip into the shower, thinking. I like this city. It's strange to stand within it knowing it ceases to exist in original time. It makes me wonder what is going on while Time and I are here, hiding.
I'm not sure what Time's plan is, but I'm assuming there is no way he is going to share it with me until he feels like it. I'm pretending as though it doesn't bother me, that it doesn't make me nervous.
Leaning out the shower, I grab my towel as I turn the shower off, wrapping it around myself before I step out. I'm glad I did, as I notice Time standing in the doorway.
"We need to go. Now."
"Can't you see I'm occupied?" I snap, plastering the towel tightly against my body. I don't even want to consider how long he must have been standing there. I'm so appalled, I'm too shocked to really blow up at him.
He shrugs his shoulders, not even looking anywhere else but my eyes, which at least I can be grateful for. It seems as though me standing here, almost naked in front of him, is no issue for him. I can't be the one in wrong here. Maybe he's seen so many naked bodies in his many years of life, that one more isn't a problem for him.
"We need to go as soon as possible," he comments. He sighs, as I continue to glare at him. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything. Even if you are my mate. Luckily I respect you."
I roll my eyes, before ushering him out. "Give me a moment."
As the door closes behind him, I sigh, leaning my back against it. The more time I spend with him, the more he begins to involve himself in almost every aspect of my life. At some point, I'm going to need to get out before he drives me crazy.
Time is impatiently waiting for me as I come to stand back in the living room. He barely gives me any time to react, or even say another word, before he grabs my hand, and everything around me disappears. I still hate the feeling, of the pressure that builds around me, exploding into bright colours and a vortex of violent sounds, before it all goes still.
And I feel a rush of cold. Below my knees.
Rapidly blinking, I cling desperately to Time, trying to regain my sight. It comes back to me, as I look down, seeing water rushing around my ankles, bubbling and gurgling.
When I look up, I realise we are standing in a river, with high banks on either side. It's not deep, but already I can feel my feet starting to slip away. Thankfully, Time has a hold on me, and he isn't about to let go, otherwise I might end up who knows where.
"Where are we?" I shout over the sound of rushing water.
Time looks down at me, smiling genuinely. "My sanctuary."
When I look up the river, watching it twist around a corner, I can't help but wonder why. The water is ice cold, shadows are cast from the steep banks on either side of us, and there is nothing but dark green wilderness and foaming water everywhere. Brittle wind chills my skin, but when I glance toward Time he doesn't seem to be sharing any of my problems.
Time doesn't let go of my hand, which at this point, is my only source of warmth. I allow him to lead me up the river, which I do so carefully, worried that if I slip on the rocks embedded below the water, I'll be washed down the river, never to be found again.
"How do you find the middle of a river a sanctuary?" I question, as we battle around the corner, fighting against the strength of the current.
Time's eyes glint. "This is just how we get to it."
Just as those words come out of his mouth, I see what he is insinuating. Perched into the side of the cliff, clearly man made, however, the environment has manipulated itself into every last inch of it. Trees branches lean over the roof, vines creeping up against the wooden boards.
"And you couldn't have just transported us into the building?" I question, motioning to the surface of the water where below, my shoes have been completely flushed with water.
"Well that's no fun," Time comments.
Suppressing an eye roll, I continue up the river until we reach a set of stairs that leads up out of the water, which is a total relief. The set of stairs spirals upward, leading right to the porch of the cabin. Almost immediately, I kick off my shoes, seeing the water flooding the inside. Time seems amused at my discomfort, smiling down at me.
"What? It's not my fault you decided to put your sanctuary on the side of a river bank in the middle of a dark, sad looking forest," I mutter, rolling up the hem of my pants.
"The forest is beautiful. It helps set a certain mood for my art," Time explains, opening the front door. No key keeps it locked, but that doesn't surprise me. I've never seen this particular place before, but I'm assuming no one stumbles upon this place.
It's quite literally in the middle of nowhere.
Door creaks, and a myriad of dust and foliage falls down in the doorway as it swings open. Covering my mouth with my sleeve I eye Time skeptically. I watch as he disappears into the cabin, the thick darkness from inside swallowing him completely. Taking a deep breath, I follow him, just as he switches a light on.
I'm immediately overwhelmed by the amount of colour in the room. It might be a small cabin, but almost every inch, from the walls to the floor, has been painted. Below my feet, I'm standing within an emerald lake that stretches out to touch soft green grass, before it folds into a thick forest of trees all across the wall and then to a starry night sky above us.
"Woah," I breathe, turning around in a tight circle, looking up. I'm most mesmerized by the roof, as if has the least thick layer of dust across it.
I knew he had talent. But this is insane.
"I come here a lot, even now. This was a turning point in my life. Brings back good memories," he explains.
When I look at Time, standing there, looking around at his own work from many years ago, I can see the satisfaction in his eyes. He's proud of this. I can't help but smile, which I smother behind my hand. No wonder Time brought me here to see this. I would show this off too.
"The current time me will be here tomorrow, by that time we will be gone. I came here a lot after I went through that...faze. I took some time to myself, and realized painting was a sort of meditation for me. It changed a lot about me. It even made me forgive my brother," Time explains, to which I raise my eyebrows in surprise.
"That's unheard of," I reply.
As Time moves around the room, pulling plastic off furniture, I can't help but think. Would I have forgiven Thought? What he did was unfair, but they were young. At this point, I would have hoped he grew up and matured from it, so I would be able to forgive him. Clearly something else goes wrong in the future, since their relationship has gone back to its usual tumultuous way.
"There's only one bedroom here, so I'll take the couch tonight," Time tells me, to which I shrug. Time doesn't need sleep, so something tells me he won't be spending much of tonight of this couch.
I collapse onto it. "This is insane? Does this place exist in my time?"
Time looks solemn, and for a moment I consider whether or not I triggered the wrong cord. "No, it got burnt down at some point. This is deep within my territory, in a place where I never wanted my people to explore. A bunch of idiotic explorers came across it, and had it burnt to the ground for no reason at all. They had no idea what they were doing."
I swallow uncomfortably. "What did you do to them?"
I'm almost nervous to hear an answer. Time has hidden his true nature behind his beautiful paintings and undeniable wit and charm. However, I know there's more to him then just this. And that scares me as much as it intrigues me.
"I didn't kill them, if that's what you're wondering," Time mutters, walking across the room, looking bothered. "I don't kill everyone I come across, believe it or not."
"That's not what I'm saying-"
"No, I get it," Time sighs, turning to face me, his expression pained. "I wouldn't trust me either. You have no reason to trust me. And as time goes on in what I show you from my life, I'm going to watch you hate me. I'm going to watch all the awe you may have once had disappear, because you're going to get to know me. And that hurts more than anything you'll ever know."
I'm left speechless, as Time storms out the door, leaving me wondering what just happened.
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Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, you can head over to Radish and read Time ahead of Wattpad!
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Hey guys! I've released Thought's own story on Radish, which is available now! I want to see by the end, which of the brothers your prefer
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~Midika 💜🐼