《The Grand Reset (Book 1 Shattered Time)》


 The White Void

    The grandfather paradox, we all know it well. I always wonder about it, luckily for me I''m not stupid enough to kill my own grandfather but if I were to change a event in history that would alter my discovery of time travel what would happen? To be honest I did everything in my power to stop myself from going near this question but there was an offer I couldn''t resist. My mother died of cancer while I was still 8. It''s been 24 years since then and in the year 2048 cancer is a thing of the past. If I saved her it wouldn''t destroy the existence of time travel. There would be no reason for it too, the reason I made time travel was to stop wars, save people among etc. Those were the reasons I made time travel; those were the reasons I thought I did. I guess I didn''t really understand myself too well then, because the second I saved her I entered the time paradox.


    My eyes were glued shut extremely tight. I couldn''t move them no matter how hard I tried. Then I felt an arm grab me and my eyes started to loosen. I saw a strange place. If I had to describe it I would call it nothing. It wasn''t anything at all just white empty void then I turned behind me and saw a younger version of myself. I didn''t know how to process this. I woke up in an empty room with nothing but a younger version of me. I thought it could all be a dream but it felt vivid and it felt real. I was terrified of my younger self but she was the only thing here that wasn''t void I had no choice but to follow her. I tried to walk but I couldn''t. It was like walking in zero gravity. I fell straight on my face but Little Me kept going it was almost like she was in a hurry to get out of here.


    I had to stand on my own two feet. So I pushed myself off the ground and tried again. It felt so weird learning how to walk again like an infant but I discovered time travel how hard it could be to relearn how to walk on my own two feet. I walked ever so slowly making sure I didn''t fall again.


    She was slightly faster but I didn''t need to panic about her leaving my sight. I focus all my energy on learning to walk. Little by little I got better at it to the point where I felt comfortable walking without having to focus on it too much. Now that I have learned how to walk I need to truly analyze where I am. A white empty void with nothing beside me and Little Me. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. A dream maybe? I don''t think this is a dream. When I fell on the ground I definitely felt it. What else could be some sort of hallucination? That would explain Little Me but as for everything else it doesn''t make any practical sense. I thought for a little longer and nothing came to mind. It was no use, nothing here made sense so I decided to just keep on walking.


    While walking forward I saw something other than the white void I was in. It was a sky blue portal of sorts. I didn''t know where it leads but anything is better than this place. I got closer and closer to the sky blue portal and Little Me walked straight through it. I couldn''t lose her now she was the one thing that wasn''t void as far as I could tell. I walked faster and faster towards it making sure not to fall on my face again. After finally reaching it I tripped into the sky blue portal.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    There was no ground beneath me. I was falling straight down that portal might have actually sent me to the sky. Am I going to die here or was I just going to fall forever? I looked down and saw Little Me falling the same way I was. I don''t know if she knew this was going to happen or if she wanted to fall on purpose. I finally saw bits of green getting closer and closer. Looks like it was over for me without a doubt it was land. I don''t really know how to feel about this. I lived a pretty successful life. I was half the reason time travel was invented and saved a lot of life''s using that thing. My only regret is that I couldn''t save my mother.


    I look down one final time and I see my brown hair on the green below. The ground got closer and closer and then I hit it. I thought it would be over at this point but not only was I alive I was also completely unharmed. Don''t get me wrong it hurts a lot but I don''t think it has any permanent or even semi-long-term effects on my body. So now the question remains where am I? I was no longer inside the void and this was a place filled with grass and trees but it all felt motionless.


    I got up and tried to walk and almost tripped. The walking went back to normal and I have no clue why but I know it''s back to the way it used to be. I looked around and thought more about the place I was in. Why would it all be motionless? I know it is not a dream nor a hallucination. It''s probably something I don''t know too much about. Then it hit me it was probably time travel. I remember something weird happened right before I saved my mom. The aftermath must be what this place is.


    So what am I supposed to do with that info if I''m correct and this place is a product of me messing with time that doesn''t change anything. This place is still a complete mystery and I have no idea where I''m supposed to go. Do I look for food, water, a place to stay? I decide angst all those things right now my best bet is to follow Little Me until I get some sort of clue.


    I want to find out what Little Me really is before I blindly trust her. I needed to start a conversation if I was going to get anywhere with her. I started simple and asked for her name. I need to play my cards carefully for all I know she could be hostile or neutral towards me. I need to show her I''m friendly before I start asking the big questions.


    She looked at me and said "My name Racheal and what''s your name." I knew it even if I just said it as a friendly question. I have confirmed she is just a younger version of me, same name and all. I smiled and told her "What a coincidence my name also Racheal."


    She just said "Really that''s nice." and kept walking. That was strange of her to just walk off like that. I know I would have been amazed to see another Rachel, but at the same time Racheal is a very common name she could have meant some other Racheal here instead. It''s fine, all we know now is she''s walking somewhere and that following her is for the best. I followed her for a while till we arrived in a strange land. A massive white circle with lines all pointing towards a center and at the center was an hourglass as big as a skyscraper.

 The Land of Time

    First things first I need to investigate the hour glass. I go around it trying to find any clues of what might have happened to me. While I was walking I saw two blocks at the thinnest point of the glass preventing the sand from flowing. Why would there be a second block? Assuming this had something to do with time travel there should only be one. Could it be Little Me''s fault that''s possible, but I think there''s something else it could be. I thought for a little longer and remembered something huge.


    I had a partner named Adam with his help. The blast to the past project was possible. He pretty much did 50% of the project. If the blocks are how many time travelers there are then Adam is most likely one of them. Problem is I still need to confirm if he''s actually here or not. The blocks can mean something else entirely but what else do I have to go off of. If Adam is anywhere he''ll probably be in the nothingness I was in earlier. It''s a gamble but I need someone else if I''m going to solve this.


    I ask Little Me where the void was located. She turned around and started going the direction we came from. I knew it was going to be a long walk back. I could just follow her but I would rather get some information just walking in silence would be a waste. I need to choose my words carefully for all I know she could be hostile towards me at the same time throwing out too many questions would cause her to dislike me. I''ll give myself just one question. I think about what to say. There''s a lot I want to ask right now about the void I was in, about the giant hourglass. I really want to ask if Adam is even here or not but I have one question only.


    The question should probably be about this world if Adam is not here so be it but this place is an absolute mystery, first of all why doesn''t anything move. I decided that would be my question. It''s vague so it would need a lot of explaining on her part way better than a yes or no question. I asked and she said "Everything used to move here. The place were in right now is the Land of Time and the reason nothing moves anymore is cause you had to show up"


    That gave me more info then I could imagine. With that question alone I have confirmed that the block was my doing. I also discovered the name of this place, the Land of Time, not really appropriate anymore but guess that''s my fault. The most important part is a hunch but I think she''s hostile towards me. The way she said "cause you had to show up" means she probably is not too happy to see me.


    This could be a problem later before I discover anything or ask any more questions. I need to get her to like me. Still what else do we have in common expect "Wow your name is Racheal to that''s sooooooo cool." Maybe I should talk about stuff I liked as a kid. She is just a kid version of me after all. I decided Against it. I don''t know that for sure I can''t bet on that yet. Should I just ask her that? I probably shouldn''t. That would lead into a one sided conversation that was the whole reason I made the one question rule in the first place. I need to bring up something of my own.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I needed to think of something. What can the both of us talk about something enjoyable, something kids like. I got it. I told her, "Do you like science?" I instantly regretted every word that came out of my mouth. What was I thinking? I just broke every rule I made. It''s a yes or no question and what kind of kid likes science but then she smiled and told me "I think science is really cool". I gave off a sigh of relief. I thought I messed up big time but I can''t let my guard down again. Step one was a success. Science is definitely something I can talk about time to get the ball rolling. "I really like tech type science. One time I saw a robot that could perfectly sharpen any pencil with complete accuracy." Man, I should work on my social skills. This is the subject I''m most involved in and all I thought was a pencil sharpening robot. She turned around with disbelief "your kidding right". At that moment I knew I blew it. Then she said "that''s the coolest thing I heard all week. You''re telling me I never have to deal with my pencils snapping over and over again. This is great news." There''s no longer any doubts she really is just the kid version of me.


    We continued walking and I saw the portal with my own eyes so close to the ground I vividly remember almost falling to my death and now it''s just there? I thought about it but there was no reasonable explanation. I already used my one question so I''ll keep it a mystery for now.


    I jump in remembering the fact that walking is strange here and hoping if I put my whole body in I could adapt faster. Unfortunately I landed straight on my face. It''s fine the only person to see that was Little Me who knows maybe we''ll look back and laugh at this later. I get up on my feet almost pretending like it didn''t happen and try my best to relearn walking for the second time.


    After walking just a little bit further I turn back to notice that Little Me hasn''t even entered the portal. This could be a problem. I didn''t even consider the possibility that the portal was closable. I tried walking as fast I could but tripped before I could get through the portal. I looked up in despair just to see Little Me laughing. "What happened, did you see a ghost in there or something". I was confused but decided the best option was to play it off cool "No I was just wondering why you decided not to go through the portal". She laugh some more and said "so the best way to find out was to fall on your face like a dumb dumb." I should have known I was smarter than that. She saw straight through my bluff but I can see right through hers.


    Maybe she just wanted to tease me a little more about falling over but right now I think she''s avoiding the question. Just to make sure I laughed it off and said "So why aren''t you going in the portal.'''' she smiled and said "So I don''t fall on my face like you did". No doubt about it I know myself too well to not know what she''s doing. The question now is how should I go about it. I could easily force her to answer the question but I still have to make sure I''m on her good side. I think the best course of action is to ask one more time if she avoids it then we let it be if she answers it''s not that big of a deal. "That''s funny but we should get going." she smiled and said "Nah falling isn''t something I want to do today" I could tell that smile was fake but I don''t want to push this conversation any longer. This has its problems now. I''m in a dilemma. I could go and find Adam but is leaving little me really worth it.

 Racheal Vs Little Me

    I have to weigh my options here first. I have to look at both sides'' risks and rewards starting with Adam. Adam is a huge risk simply due to the fact that he might not even be here but if he is I''d finally have someone I understand. As for Little Me she has a lot less risk then Adam and having someone that knows about the land of time is far more useful than having someone who knows about the same if not less then me.


    After weighing my options I decided to stay with Little Me. Exiting the portal and playing it cool I told her "Well if you''re not going in I''m not going in either I don''t really feel like tripping a third time." She was probably suspicious of me but decided to let it go I still don''t know what to do I was hoping Adam would give me some ideas or at least find out more about the void but right now all I have is little me and the giant hourglass these are my only two hints about this place I have to use them wisely.


    The glass has two blocks that could mean anything. It''s not in my best interest to come to any conclusion. As for little me right now I want to get close to her and find out more about the land of time. I decided to tell her more about the pencil sharpening robot on the way back. I''ll ask more questions when I get there. After a friendly conversation we made it back and I decided to give myself another question and I know what it is this time. I turn around ready to ask the question that''s been lingering in my mind after figuring out about the land of time. I ask her "how do I fix time"?


    She frowned and said "you really don''t know, that''s the whole reason I went to that void in the first place. They were right, I shouldn''t have let you out". That a lot to take in who''s *they* why shouldn''t have I been let out, is that why she didn''t want to go in the void? She probably views me in a more negative light but I found another clue. Who ever them is has to be similar to little me to some degree *they* could be even more useful. Little me is irrational and hiding something I don''t know who *they* are but at this point I don''t care playing these mind games with her isn''t getting me anywhere.


    This could be the biggest opportunity yet. I''m done getting on your good side. I''ll break you for this info. I make my first move and charge at her tackling her to the ground right now. What I need is answers and I don''t care how I get them. She pushed me off. She doesn''t plan to just let me attack her.


    She wants a fight so be it I decided to wait for her to make the first move and react. She rushes at me and stays just out of my range and starts moving around trying to bait a punch. I see she''s using her youth against me. There''s no way I could keep up with her and her age but she gave me the opening I needed. Her movement might be fast but also predictable. I caught on to her pattern pretty quickly. It was the same each time left, down ,right, down, rinse and repeat. I wait until she goes left then down and now I know what to do. I punch where she was going to be and hit her square in the face. I need to abuse this monument as much as possible so I start throwing a barrage of punches before she can recover. I hit her down to the ground. This is my golden opportunity if I do this right I could get all the answers I need.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    She gets on her first leg but I''m not letting her get up. I go for another tackle but she punches me directly in the stomach before she even gets up completely. It didn''t hurt that much because she didn''t have popper footing but she forced me to waste my golden chance. Getting another chance even half as big as that would be hard but I have to try anyway. I wait for her to charge at me but she decides to wait. Looks like she learned from her mistakes. I need to go on the offensive. I walk up to her hands up and ready for any quick burst of movement she might try.


    Even though I might be slower than her, what I do have is range. If I position myself correctly I can attack without worrying about her fighting back. I get in my range and start walling her out with attacks blocking any movement option she might try to take. I wouldn''t call this a golden opportunity but I have the advantage over little me. She has to do something if she wants the upper hand.


    She keeps avoiding my attack, not really making an attempt to punch back. What is she planning? I keep punching, asking myself this question. Do I have her right where I want her, then I remember her previous plan and stop my punches immediately. She''s trying to ware me out. I should have known her previous plan was all about using the age gap for victory.


    She goes in as a reaction to me stopping. She probably thinks I''m tired right now but I saw straight through her plan. I''m about to snatch my second golden opportunity. I go for the punch and she avoids it just in time. She threw her punch and it was strong enough to knock me over. She uses her speed to tackle me right after the punch.


    Now what? I can''t push her off nor could I punch back. I lost the battle all I could do in talk "Who are *they*" She smiled and squeezed tighter."You''re in no position to be asking questions here. I will do the questioning from now on. Why did you attack me?" There''s no point in lying I just tell her the truth "I wanted answers the two of us were getting nowhere I thought *they* could be another source." She got angry "Do you think I''m not good enough if you want answers so badly just ask" is she serious I tried asking "I already ask you about *them* and you said "I said too much" don''t tell me I didn''t try." She squeezed even tighter and said "*They* is off the table but you can ask me about anything else but *they* are top secret." I''ll test her on that theory then


    we go back on forth on questioning


    "Where''s Adam?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Does Adam even exist here?"


    "Yes he does."


    "If you don''t know where he is can you help me look for him?"


    "I would love to."


    Would you look at that guess I was wrong. I spent all this time manipulating and tricking her into giving me answers just so I didn''t get on her bad side and I just tackled her. I should have given Little Me more credit. I asked her to let go and she did. I told her that my next goal is finding Adam. I don''t have to hide everything from her anymore. From now on there won''t be any more lies or tricks. We will both have a common goal and together we can reach it.

 Doubt

    I know for a fact that Adam exists here the problem is where. If I had to make a guess I would say the void but Little Me doesn''t want to go there for some reason and I don''t know how to change that. Maybe someway somehow I can squeeze the answers out of her. I need to force myself out of that mindset. We agreed to trust each other. I don''t need to force answers out of her anymore I can just ask. I asked her "Hey Racheal why didn''t you want to go into the void." She just walked away and said "I told you already, tripping is not my strong suit." I sighed and thought to myself what is so problematic about the void and why can''t she just tell me these things? Right now that''s not my problem. I can find out later what I should focus on is Adam. I could ask Little Me for answers but if she won''t tell me about the void how much is she actually hiding from me?


    It''s ok I have the right to ask even if she is wrong what''s the worst that can actually happen. I thought about it for a bit and realized that anything can happen. I know nothing about this place or her if I really thought about the worst case serrano who knows where I''ll be. I snap myself out of it. I''m just being paranoid. Now is no time for doubts. I can trust her, I just need to ask. I asked her "So where should we look first." She put her hand on her chin and after a bit she turned to me and said "The first place we should look is probably Adam''s house."


    I couldn''t believe my ears. Did she just say Adam''s house, a place like that really exists here? It has to, there''s no reason why she would mention that if it didn''t. I ask her about how we get there and she just signals to follow. This is it no more walking around aimlessly I finally have someone else like me to talk to. I took a deep breath and told myself I can''t get too excited just yet I still have no guarantee if what she''s saying is true.


    While we were walking I decided to analyze our setting a little bit more. I look down at the white circle. I can see 1 line and I can barely see another but it''s safe to assume there''s more. While looking at one of the lines I saw something I never thought I''d see in a long time. It was another person I don''t know why but it reminded me of Little Me could they be the same species? I could just ask her about this right? Well no harm in trying. I asked "Hey who is that?" She looked at me and said "it''s one of the 12. We will get to Adam''s house through him." The 12? It just hit me. I can''t believe it took me this long to figure out where standing on a giant clock this place was called the Land of Time I should have figured. We reach the thing and Little Me puts something in there hand and says the phrase "take us to the real world." The ground crumbled beneath my feet and the sky turned into pitch black I didn''t know why but this felt very familiar.


    I woke up in the city of Los Angeles. I look around and the busy street is stopped right in its tracks, completely frozen in a moment in time. It didn''t feel real, the loud and fast city turned into silent and still one. Adam''s house I know it''s around here I stopped by him so many times that I remember his address by heart. Before I got too excited I decided to relax myself for a little bit. There''s no guaranteed Adam''s there, it''s only a possibility but still even when I tried I couldn''t stop myself from getting excited he could be right around the corner. We arrived at Adam''s house. I opened the door and called out his name hoping for a response but there was still the same silence. We checked every room but he was nowhere to be found.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    I knew I shouldn''t have gotten my hopes up. I mean why would Adam be here in the first place. I thought about it for a little longer. Why would Adam be here in the first place? If he''s just like me he should have no knowledge of the real world much less how to get there. Why would Little Me suggest this place at all? What is she hiding from me? I need to calm down. I''m getting too skeptical of her. She is just trying to help plus the fact I know the real world exists is a big bonus. It does bother me though a little test wouldn''t hurt. I ask her "Adam, not here. Where else should we check?" She puts her hand on her chin and thinks for a bit and says "We should head back to the Land of Time, I''ll think of something when I get there."


    Back to square one it does make sense to go back there. I need a real answer before I can start making conclusions. Little Me takes something out of her pocket and says "Take us back to the Land of Time." The ground crumbles again and I remember that familiar feeling. I try to think about what this feeling was connected to and why it feels so familiar. I couldn''t remember it just stayed as some weird feeling.


    I wake up back in the Land of Time. I should probably ask Little Me where to look next but I don''t think I can exactly blindly trust her anymore. I want to test her but I don''t have the resources to. It''s like I''m still in that choke hold from our fight. What can I do right now? I have nothing but her. I worked so hard to keep her as a resource and it backfired greatly.


    It''s fine I just need to ask for Adam''s location. Depending on what she says I''ll know whether to abandon her or not. So I asked, "So where to next?" She puts her hand on her chin thinking. I hate this I thought just cause she was a younger version of me I''d be able read her like a book but she''s unpredictable she knows so much. She finally says "I don''t know what you think." Is she honest or is she just trying to set me up? I can''t prove anything even if I could what am I supposed to do without her.


    She''s got me in a choke grip from the very start. I need to find Adam if where both are on the same side he can free me from this choke hold. If it''s the two of us we wouldn''t need her help at all. Where would Adam be he would probably be somewhere familiar but familiar doesn''t exist here as far as I''m concerned. There is a possibility though I ask Little Me "Is there someplace that both the Land of Time and the real world have." She put her hand on her chin and her eye lit up "There''s a hospital in the Land of Time he could be there." A hospital that is perfect I can see Adam being there but more importantly a hospital means these creatures can get hurt and potentially die. If I really needed to I could kill Little Me.


    We walk into the hospital and I look around. Then from my left I hear someone shout "We need a doctor in 1242." I turn to see who it is I couldn''t quite get a glimpse of the person before someone else shouted "I''m on it." The person was surprisingly close; he wasn''t more than a couple meters away. I saw him turn to someone and tell them "Watch closely you''re going to see an operation first hand." I checked to see who he was talking to. It was a very familiar face. The face I been searching for this whole I had finally found Adam.

 Meeting Adam

    He''s right here right in front of my face. Should I just go up to him? Of course not he wouldn''t just be a doctor for no reason there something bigger something I''m missing. I will not let this opportunity go to waste. I follow them to 1242 and took a seat right out of the room and Little Me sat right beside me. It''s too risky to just walk in and too suspicious to look through the window for no reason. Luckily I could hear everything that happened in there Adam always was a loud mouth.


    "First check their heartbeat it''s is always the most important part in a patient''s health." These creatures have hearts and by the sound of things it''s just like a human heart . I think I figured out why Adam became a doctor if I''m correct he''s trying to figure out the anatomy of these creatures . Perfect I already learned a decent amount of this world around and with Adam new learning about there anatomy fixing time should be doable.


    I just have to make contact with him but how do I do that? Should I just wait a bit longer if I wait too long people might start to catch on. I have to do something and get as much info as possible. I checked the room next to me. It''s 1243. The door closed and doesn''t appear to be staff only perfect now I can set the plan in motion. I get up and walk into the room and ask "Excuse me is this room 1243?" Perfect now I have to analyze everything in the few moments I have. I look at Adam he definitely shocked to see me and if all goes well he might just come to me, then I look at the man Adam is with he has a long beard very pale and wears glasses I look for anything that could help me then I see a window right behind them it looks to be at ground level if push comes to shove I can always just look in again. Before I can check out anything else in the room he corrects me and I take my leave.


    I walk past room 1243 and Little Me follows. Now I know without a doubt that was Adam. Problem is that I don''t know how to reach him? My best bet is getting the man Adam was with out of the room but I don''t know how I''m supposed to do that either. An emergency maybe? Not a chance there to many people here it can backfire greatly. Maybe I''ll use Little Me for something. I know that I said I''d trust her with anything but Adam is just way too important to leave in her hands. I can just say I need Adam for something. Never mind that has too many plot holes. What am I going to say "Hey I need your assistant just cause." I don''t think there''s a way to contact him right this second but there''s no need to rush things I could just wait for him to get off of work all I need is his scheduled find out what time he leaves and come back to the hospital.


    I looked for a clock all around the hospital and I couldn''t find a single one. Figures were in a place where time doesn''t even exist anymore why would there be clocks. Now I need to figure out when Adams gets off and how I should measure it. Should I ask Little Me about it? I can''t exactly trust her but what else am I going to do just wait outside till I see Adam leave? I guess I just have to ask her then "Hey Racheal how does time work here exactly I don''t really see any clocks around here?" She look puzzled from a second and her face lit up and just said " Oh yeah that we have a thing called internal clocks we could just tell the time whenever." You can''t be serious now I need Little Me for the time too this choke grip just keeps getting tighter and tighter. It''s fine, I just need to wait a little longer. I ask "So what time is it?" She pulls her ear and says "6:47." Good enough now all I need to do is find the schedule and will be on our way.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Hold on if they have internal clocks there might not even be a schedule I might be walking straight into a dead end. Now what do I just come back at 7? That has a decent chance of working but it''s very risky if I lose Adam I might be stuck in this choke grip forever. I don''t want to be walking around the hospital for who knows how long looking for something that doesn''t exist.


    I''m getting desperate, there is only one option I could think of. I go outside and find a bench outside in front of it is a bus sign. I sit down and Little Me sits right next to me now all I do is wait for Adam to come out of the hospital. As much as I would prefer anything else like finding info on this world there is no info I can think of that would be more important then Adam so for now we will wait.


    After waiting for like 2 hours Adam finally walks out of the hospital and sits right next to us at the bus stop. "Hey Adam, it''s been so long." Adam then pulls out a knife and points it straight at my throat. I saw Little Me in the corner of my eye. She was panicking right now but to be honest I thought something like this would happen. He had no reason to think I would even exist, since he didn''t have a Little Me to tell him anything I just told him to "Ask away."


    "Where were you all this time?"


    "I was stuck in a white void until a smaller version of myself helped me out."


    "smaller version?" I pointed at Little Me who sat beside me still panicking.


    "Alright then how do I know you''re the real Racheal?" I knew this was a trick question where in a different dimension there no *something about me only the real Racheal would know* He knew as well as I did we had to have blind faith in each other. I told him "There is no way for me to confirm I''m the real Racheal, you just have to trust me."


    He lowered the knife. I could tell he still distrust me but I know all we need is time to come to complete trust. I still need to be careful around him but he was well worth the effort I put in. He grabs his head in disbelief not knowing how to process the whole thing. I don''t blame him. I would be shocked but then I saw something I never seen him do before. He tried holding it back, he even tried covering it with his hand but he started crying. I don''t really know what to do in this situation. I just ask "Hey are you ok."


    He put his head down and the tears stop flowing even though I could tell he still holding back he just said "I''m fine." and gets up and start walking I start following I''m just going to assume where going to his place and leave him alone with his thoughts. Now for the big question, what am I going to do with Little Me? I don''t really want to get rid of her just yet if me and Adam both attack her we can probably capture her or something.


    Unfortunately to do that I have to get Adam on my side. I don''t really know how to speed up the process. Anything that might usually comes off as friendly might look like an act. We stop at an alley and he puts the knife back at my neck and he yells at me "Now you''re going to tell me where you actually have been the past 2 years."

 Finally Home

    The past 2 years? Have I been asleep for that long? How could I possibly have known that I was unconscious. What do I tell him? Any lie might destroy what little faith he has left. I''m not going to risk lying my way out of this. I told him "I''m sorry I didn''t know I was unconscious for 2 years. I have only been in The Land of Time for a day or two."


    He tilted his head and asked "The Land of Time? I never heard of that." Wait, he didn''t know that he''s been here for 2 years and no one told him what this place is called. Has he really been here for 2 years I mean it could be a massive bluff but if I call it out right now it could be problematic it''s probably better to explain what it is "The Land of Time is the dimension where in right now."


    he asked "What do you mean by dimension?" I could at least understand this one without Little Me. I don''t know if I would have ever been to the real world but it is suspicious that he has practically no knowledge for someone who has been here for 2 years. I am in no position to ask questions but I could still test him from here. "In this dimension the world is run by creatures like Little Me called the out lookers." If he''s really been here for 2 years he should be able to call out this lie and if he does this proves I have little to no knowledge of this world and if he doesn''t I know for sure he bluffing and he probably been here as long as I have.


    "The out lookers huh you seem to be giving a lot of info. You know how suspicious this is right?" He''s absolutely bluffing beside the info I gave him was bare minimum. Should I call out his bluff or go along with it? I have to think like I''m Adam for a second. If I were Adam I would have no confirmation from a Little Me and a person that looks like my partner just stumbles into the door without any rhyme or reason what would I do.


    I would call him out on it. It''s not rocket science to understand the species of something you''ve been around for 2 years. It had to come up eventually, especially since Adam a doctor. I decided to tell him straight up "Have you really been here for 2 years. it''s absurd to me that you somehow managed to become a doctor and not know the name of their species." He laughed and just said "I know the name of their species I was just testing if you call out my bluff."


    I started laughing. I didn''t think Adam would only resort to bluffing. I had to hold in my laughter and said to him "Ok then what''s the name of our species then." He looked sad and said " Wait, you really don''t know either?" How in the world would he come to that conclusion? I mean he''s right but still how could he had possibly figured that out.


    He started laughing and I started laughing. Little Me just stared at us in confusion. To be honest even when I talked to him I didn''t really think Adam could be here but now I can say safety this is Adam he stopped laughing and just said "It''s nice to have you back Racheal." I smiled and said "Same it must have been tough being alone for 2 years."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After we finished our teasing he signaled us to follow him. He told us he was leading us back to the place he was staying in. As we were walking he got closer and whispered in my ear "What''s the deal with the young version of you." There''s no need to lie about how much I truly know about Little Me. I whisper back "I don''t really know much about her but she is a great tool of info. I don''t exactly trust her but I don''t think we should get rid of her either."


    He turned back at Little Me for a bit and then went ahead. That was a bad move on Adam''s part. I have a sneaking suspicion that she suspects me as much as I suspect her. After we left the real world I been distant and I wasn''t really trying to hide it either. There''s a high chance she thinks something is going on. Overall it wasn''t a terrible move. I would have liked to have done that in private but now me and Adam are on the same page when it comes to Little Me and she was the first thing I wanted to address when I found him.


    I start brainstorming ideas. Now that there''s two of us, we can jump Little Me and capture her at the same time. It''s probably best to do it while she''s asleep. We can also try to get on her good side. It would take longer but could be more beneficial. I think capturing her the play even when I try to get on her good side she wouldn''t tell me who *they* are if we capture her she will have no choice but to spill.


    We arrive at Adam''s place and it''s a pretty shabby hotel with 3 rooms in total: a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room. There''s no way he''s been here for 2 years as a doctor. He should be living the high life at that point, forget Little Me how are we going to live in this place. I didn''t want to say it out loud but Little Me started to complain. Ranting about how small the place is and that there''s not even two beds I agree with every point she made but she didn''t have to say it out loud.


    I do wonder how long Adam actually been here. I know it''s not 2 years like he calms but he couldn''t have gotten a house in a day either. I decided to just ask him "Hey Adam how long have you been here and don''t go saying garbage like 2 years." He giggled a little bit at the comment and just said "I''ve been here for like a month or something. It''s just a guess so take it with a grain of salt."


    A month that''s definitely longer than I''ve been here. I want to talk about it but I don''t want to discuss something like that with Little Me around. She helped me out of the white void. She probably knows why me and Adam were brought out at different times but she didn''t want to go into the void in the first place. There''s a really high chance she is hiding something else about it.


    I decided to change the subject for now about the sleeping arrangements. We decided me and Little Me get the bed while he sleeps on the couch in the living room. We decide to go shopping tomorrow. He gets paid three days from now so we should be fine getting extra things for all three of us.


    After all this time we finally have a stable living condition and a partner I could trust. The place is shabby sure but this a place I could get used to I could sit down and think like I used to. Me and Adam broke time but like this I''m confident we could fix it.

 New Home

    It''s the middle of the night and I can''t sleep. We finally got a stable living space but it just made me more eager to figure out about the white void. What is it , why did me and Adam get out at separate times and why does Little Me hate it so much. Adam has been there too so he might have some ideas but he''s probably tired. He has to work and we''re going shopping. I don''t think waking him would be a good idea.


    I might talk to him at the shop I don''t know how but there''s probably a way. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve I want to just sleep and get it over with but my brain keeps running rampant. There is too much to think about right now I''d be exhausted if I don''t get some sleep. The whole reason we searched for Adam was to brainstorm together. I can''t do that if I''m a zombie when I wake up. It took forever but I finally drifted to sleep.


    Morning comes and Adam wakes us up to go shopping. I''m way too tired to think I''m sure I''ll come alive on the way there. We start heading into the store and I''m exhausted. I spent way too much time brain dumping last night. We walk into the store and my eyes are pretty much closed.


    Before I even get a grasp on what''s happening in the check out line I''m still tired but I''m finally awake enough to know I need time alone with Adam if we''re going to figure things out. I check the shopping list and make the first move. I turn around to Little Me and say "Racheal I forgot the pillows could you get them for me?" She got angry at me and just yelled at me to get it sense I forgot. I didn''t realize how much of a brat I was until now sadly she is right I did *forget* so I guess I should go. I went back and grabbed the pillows we paid for all our items and started heading home.


    I need another plan. While I was trying to think, Adam looked at the receipt and said "Wow I must have underestimated how much money three people would cost. Rachael you should probably get a job. I could recommend you to the hospital I work at; they''ll be happy to take you." That was a good move from Adam. If we both work at the hospital we should be able to get as much time without Little Me as we want.


    I ''ll follow along with this idea of course but it''s going to take more than recommendation to get me in the hospital. I still need a college degree and identification. When I thought about the things I needed nothing with Adam added up. First of all becoming a doctor in a month is hard enough and impossible if you''re starting at square one. Even the house was sketchy. If he has been here for a month he should be dead. There wasn''t any sign of a kitchen and there''s not even food in the groceries we just brought. Everything about him stops making sense, even something as simple as waking up on time to go to work shouldn''t be possible if he was human.


    I got to carless I thought Adam was guaranteed to be an ally but he could be a enemy he could even be one of *them*. If I follow along with the Adam''s plan there''s no way I could deal with Adam and Little Me at the same time. It''ll be suspicious for me not to address the problem at all but I don''t want him to know I figured everything out. So I went in the middle and said "That''s great Adam but are you sure all I need is your word of recommendation I mean you only been there for a month." He looked puzzled and said " They''ll probably just let you in when I ask to become an assistant there they just let me in with no questions asked. I don''t really get it but what I do get is that you be just fine if you just walk up to one of them and ask."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    This is all so confusing. I don''t know what to think anymore. I just got to stay focused and take it one step at a time. Step one is finding out if Adam is really an ally. Assuming he''s telling the truth that solves problem one of not having enough time to become a doctor. Still how is he alive without being able to eat? This isn''t enough for me to accuse him of being an enemy but I don''t want to blindly call him a friend either.


    The two things that are bothering me are the fact he can live without eating and the fact he can tell time. I thought about how I was going to go about getting these two issues solved. I came up with an idea. I asked "Hey Adam, when are you going to work tomorrow?" He just said 3-8 with no hesitation. Is there something I just don''t know some easy way to tell time here? I thought about the hospital and remembered Little Me didn''t know I didn''t have an internal clock either. Maybe he''s the same. That makes sense but that''s assuming he''s not human. Who am I kidding? It was suspicious he was here to begin with. Without a Little Me he wouldn''t have made it past the void.


    We make it home the most dangerous place Adam and Little Me have me in closed corners. Showing that I know too much could lead to death. I have to survive till 3. I could ask for the time but this Adam seems smarter then Little Me. He might catch on to the fact I don''t have an internal clock so I''ll keep quiet for now. After we unpack he told us about the plan for tomorrow. I nodded and agreed and hoped it didn''t raise suspicion.


    I woke up the next day. I don''t know what time and I have no intention of asking. Right now Little Me is still asleep but when I walk out of our room I see Adam wide awake sitting down probably waiting for one of us to wake up. All I need to do is not act suspicious. What would I do if I didn''t know Adam was one of these creatures? I will probably try to talk to him about Little Me. It was what I was going to do until I figured it out. This is going to be difficult. I have to talk about these creatures without knowing too much about them but if I don''t do anything he''s going to catch on. I walked to him and said " Little Me is still asleep. Yesterday you asked me about her. To be real with you I don''t really know all that much about her but what I do know is she is my only source of info here so I can''t just get rid of her."


    Perfect if Adam and Little Me are alliances making it look like I can''t get rid of her would make them less likely to attack. He put his hands together and said "So what are you planning to do with her." Cutting straight to the chase I see. I''m just going to assume I was right about the alliance I think he wants to see what my relationship with her is like I try to make it positive as I can without being reckless. "I didn''t have one the whole time I was here. I''ve been looking for you. Little Me was always an afterthought." He thought for a bit and asked "Have you thought of capturing her?" Is this some sort of bait? Is he asking if I would attack her? I mean I would but I can''t let him know that we need to make it as positive as possible. "No I want to stay on Little Me''s good side if she''s giving us info I want it to be willingly."


    He looked at me with complete shock and I knew I messed up. The second it came out I knew how out of character it was. I never cared about Little Me''s feelings and I never cared for anyone else''s either and that look he''s giving me right made it clear as day I just been found out.

 Nothing Connects

    Adam might have just found out that I was lying but he still doesn''t know why. Maybe I can still talk my way out of this. He said "I didn''t know you cared so much about her. Usually you would do anything for this kind of info." He''s really putting the pressure on me but I can''t let him win. I can out wit him. "The thing is I don''t really care about how she feels. The real reason is that she might lie to us. I mean we have no real way of proving if she''s telling the truth or not, if we''re on her good side maybe she just tell us anyway." I waited for a response from him. He thought for a while and said "Why do you think we have no way of testing the truth?" I really messed up now. It''s fine though I can say something to get out of this.


    CREEK


    Little Me opened the door and waved good morning to us. I''m just going to assume she heard nothing but still this puts me in a rough place with Adam. He probably suspects that I know something and we both agreed not to talk about this stuff when Little Me is around. I said hello back to Little Me and both of us pretended like our conversation never happened.


    This is bad. I have an invisible time limit and Adam is on to me. It''s fine. It''s fine, I just need to remain calm. I have two objectives 1 think of what I''m going to say to Adam. One good thing about this scenario is that I have much more time to think about what I''m going to say to get myself out of this. The problem is objective 2: find some time alone with Adam. I can''t think of any time we can be alone. His apartment is so small and Little Me follows us around everywhere. I don''t think Adam''s going to risk sending her off so I think we''re stuck with this for now.


    I can worry about objective 2 later right now the problem is what sort of lie do I tell him. Should I tell him that I decided to follow along with his idea and we can capture her. I''m usually way more stubborn when it comes to my ideas. Guess I''m committed to staying on Little Me''s good side. So I guess now I have to make it look like a good idea or make capturing her look like a bad one. Why would capturing her be a bad idea? Maybe capture would lead to failure? That could work. I already got into a fight with her and she''s way more athletic than me. I can''t bring that up though if I''m trying to get on her good side telling Adam I tried to fight her might not be the best idea.


    What are the benefits of her being on our good side? What are the cons of capturing her? I have to give my case of why befriending her is the best choice. I feel like a lawyer defending a clearly guilty client. Still I can win this, I have time. I spent the rest of the day planning and thinking about my case but I never got the chance to actually talk to him.


    Before I knew it, 3 pm had hit and Adam was about to leave. I would prefer to not let Little Me home by herself but I need to fix my relationship with Adam. I ask to walk with him to the bus stop. I know it''s suspicious to leave Little Me alone if I don''t trust her but I need to explain myself.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    We both walk out and he doesn''t even hesitate to call out my recklessness.


    "Why are you leaving Little Me home alone? I thought you didn''t trust her."


    "The truth is I don''t but I want to prioritize our conversation." There was truth to that even if I did trust Adam there just too much I want to say to him right now.


    "So what''s so important that you left her behind." Looks like we are not on the same page. I thought he would understand why I prioritize him so much.


    "I want you to realize that capturing Little Me isn''t the right option."


    "you seem to care about Little Me quite a bit."


    "I told you I don''t. I just think that too much could go wrong if you have been here for a month that is not nearly long enough to figure out everything they can have under there selves".


    "So how long will be enough for you to take action?" I''m just about ready to give up. Everything I say just keeps making it worse and worse


    "I don''t know."


    "Expected as much."


    I honestly should have just kept my mouth shut every time I tried to speak to him, it only gets worse. I should have known I can''t talk my way out of these things whether it be Little Me or Adam. What do I do now?


    Right after he said that we reached the bus stopped. I just made things so much worse for myself. I don''t think this relationship is fixable. I have to give up on tricking Adam. He''s way too smart to not know that I''m at least questioning him. There''s no point every conversation I have with him makes things worse. Should I run? Maybe but then I''m going to be even worse then when I started not to mention I have no clue where I would even run. Should I just kill them? That still leaves me with the exact same problem. Without them I have no knowledge of The Land of Time. I guess I really do have to capture them, both of them.


    I can start with Little Me and then catch Adam by surprise by the time he gets home. That can work but I need more details. How exactly am I going to capture these two? Little Me should be easy when she enters her room. I can just block it with a chair problem solved. The issue is Adam. I don''t know how good he is at fighting but I lost to a 8 year old. I don''t think I can rely on raw strength.


    I need some sort of plan of attack, maybe a weapon of some sort. I have the knife that Adam threatened me with that could work but I think Adam''s on to me though it''s not unlikely he shows up with some sort of weapon as well. This might as well be a death match, a knifes good and all but I need something to catch him off guard.


    I look around the house seeing if anything would be useful. While looking around I found some scalpels Adam left behind perfect. I check if I could hide it under my selves without cutting myself. It''s difficult but it does work and I can manage to hide them without injuring myself. Next I need to practice taking them out of my selves as fast as possible. It was almost like some sort of magic trick but in time I learned it. I was ready. I have a weapon and an ace up my sleeve. I don''t know what Adam is planning but whatever it is I will be ready.

 Racheal vs Adam

    I need to keep an eye on Little Me for now so I need to know when Adam will get back. I check the bus stop numbers. I look for 3 pm and 8 pm they''re are 4 buses in between them. I can see them pass by from home. All I need to do is count them and get ready by the time the 5th bus shows up. For now I need to go back and make sure Little Me didn''t do anything. I walk home and Little Me is still in bed. I check the house to see if anything changes and it''s all the same to my knowledge. I can''t get too comfortable there''s still many things I don''t understand about this place.


    The next few hours were stressful but uneventful just keeping my eye on Little Me as she did stupid kid stuff around the house and complained about being bored. Then the 4th bus passed by our house. It was time for phase two. I told Little Me she might be able to make a pillow fort with the things on our bed. When she entered the room I put the chair on the door just as planned. I hope she doesn''t notice but even if she does it doesn''t matter. I grabbed the knife and put the scalpel under my sleeve. I go to the bus stop with my knife behind my back and sit at the bus stop until I see the 5th and final bus.


    The bus arrives and stress hits before I start to approach him. I want to think I just want to talk. "Welcome back, I need to talk to you about something. It''s about Little Me. She''s been acting strange recently." As the bus leaves Adam reaches into his pocket. I was right he did have a weapon but I suspected this so I took out mine. This might be a fight to the death but he doesn''t know how human anatomy works so maybe he''ll miss my vitals. No, I can''t rely on him messing up. I have the scalpel. I''m at an advantage.


    He''s probably thinking of some sort of plan of attack. I have no reason to back down so I charge straight in. I stayed to the left of him hoping he couldn''t reach me with the knife in his right hand. I start adding pressure swinging left and right hoping to somehow corner him. I was just swinging aimlessly and Adam caught on and ducked then went for a counter attack on one of my swings. I jumped out of the way and felt something on my leg but it didn''t seem that painful. Maybe it was just a cut. I looked at my leg to see if it was just adrenaline saying that it wasn''t that bad but then I saw something weird. Maybe it was just because it was dark outside and I couldn''t see but I swore my blood was navy blue.


    Why, what could have possibility cause that? He went for another swing and I''m reminded I''m in a death match. I jump out of the way again and again. He keeps adding pressure and my brain is still on the blue blood. He push himself off the ground for his next attack he betting everything on this next shot. Luckily he betted wrong I avoid it completely not a scratch on my body. I went in for a final stab but he grabbed my arm and try to stab me. It was in the exact situation I thought would need the scalpel.Stolen story; please report.


    I use this position to my advantage and hang on tight to his arm and slip out the scalped in my left sleeve. I went for his eye but he avoided it but now the scalped right next to his neck I have him pinned down now the questioning begins.


    "Who are you? what do you want from me."


    "I''m Adam and I wanted to fix time."


    "You''re not Adam, you''re not even human."


    "O really? I''m not human."


    "Of course you''re not human, you haven''t eaten in 30 days and can fight just fine. Plus you have an internal clock sorry to tell you but that''s not exactly something humans have."


    "Are you kidding me? Is that why you tried to stab me."


    "Don''t act like you weren''t trying to kill me either."


    "Let me ask you something, how long have you been here?"


    "You have no right to ask questions here."


    "Are you hungry by any chance?"


    I didn''t think about it but I''m not hungry despite the fact I have been here for at least a day but that doesn''t change anything. I continuing questioning him


    "Fine I''m not hungry but that still doesn''t change the fact that you''re not human."


    "Take a good look at yourself Rachael you saw it didn''t you. The blue blood."


    "It only looks like that because it''s dark outside."


    "Fine then pull your ear then you''ll believe me."


    That''s an odd request but It couldn''t lead to any problems right? I scalped at his neck and pulled my ear. then the number 8:04 popped up right in front of my eyes.


    "Don''t you get it Racheal ever since we entered the land of time we lost our humanity ."


    It took me a second to process everything. The thought that I am not even human. I suddenly remember everything I knew before is invalid even the most basic of truths like being human is now gone. I get off of Adam and let him get back up and rightfully apologize.


    "Sorry about that, you ok."


    "I''m fine but I would feel so much better if I got pay back. How about I stab you and we call it even."


    "Of course not your completely fine. I made sure not to hit anything important so you would be able to answer my questions."


    "Yeah sure that''s why you went directly for my eye. Luckily your bad at fighting how in the world was I going to tell my boss *O sorry I can''t come in today my roommate stabbed me in the eye hope you understand*."


    "Bad at fighting? Didn''t I win that fight?"


    "Well you had an extra weapon if I knew about that scalped I would have won easily."


    "O yeah and what makes you say that."


    "Well lets see the scrape on your leg, the grip I had on you before you brought out the scalped it was pretty much my victory till you cheated."


    "It''s not cheating thinking it''s just part of the battle you were stupid and that''s why you lost."


    "Stupid? Says the person who didn''t even realize they''re not human."


    "Huh how long have you been here a month and you didn''t notice something as huge as an alternative dimension."


    "Whatever all that''s in the past now."


    "Oh so you ran out of things to say didn''t you."


    "Sure if that''s how you want to see it."


    "Looks like I won this argument."


    "Shut it."


    I poke some more fun at him until I ask him my big question.


    "I find it quite strange how there''s only a small me. Tell me Adam what happened to your small counterpart."

 On The Run

    I wanted to know about Little Adam if he was even there. If he was he might be a lot more helpful than Little Me and hopefully less annoying too. I asked him


    "Hey, have you seen a smaller version of you? I find it weird that it was just me who has one."


    "I have seen him. He helped me exit the white void after which I ran away because I didn''t trust him. I''m assuming he might still be out there somewhere."


    "That''s a relief all though there is no use looking for him right now we should keep my focus on Little Me."


    "Not necessarily your small version isn''t really the most useful. I don''t have faith in mine but having her as our only source isn''t great. She is still useful and has way more info on this place then we do but she isn''t being the most cooperative in telling us."


    "Don''t worry, I have a plan for that. She''s already under control and locked up in our room."


    "Great, then we should head home before she gets any ideas."


    When I looked at our house I noticed the window to our room was wide open. Little Me must have escaped. How could I be so stupid and forget the window. This is bad who knows where she can be and now I know she''s not working with Adam the possibilities are endless. She can have a whole group after us.


    I can''t panic, I need to focus on the facts. Little Me is gone and she knows our location that all we know for now. The question is what to do about it. Do we chase Little Me down or do we high tail it out of here. I told Adam about her escape. He looked to be in pure terror and fell to his knees. I told him about the two options I had in mind and asked which one he''d pick. He said "It''s obvious we''re getting out of here. I don''t know anything about her and neither do you plus she could be anywhere there''s no point."


    I know but that leads to the main issue. Neither of us have any knowledge on the land of time and now we lost our only resource but I agree with him we should give up on finding Little Me but We need a new source of info. Where or who could it be. Maybe we should look for Little Adam. He is out there. I thought about it and realized it wouldn''t work. It leads to the exact same problem of not knowing where they are. Running is our only option.


    I asked Adam, "Hey, how much money do you have." He grabbed something from his pocket and said 300s. Thanks Adam very helpful next time learn to translate that to dollars. He reassured me saying "Transportation here is free and we don''t need to eat. We don''t need any money if you''re thinking of running will be fine." I needed that to be honest I wasn''t into the whole running away idea but Adam seems on board and if we were both in I don''t see why not.Stolen novel; please report.


    I tell him that we should leave now. We get our clothes and money just in case we need it when we leave. He smiled and grabbed two suitcases to pack our stuff. I pull my ear to check my internal clock 8:04. I thought of waiting for another bus but it will arrive at 9 and I don''t just want to sit down for pretty much an hour. Then Adam came up with an idea he told me "We should go back to the real world for now we know it more then The Land of Time. Will figure out what to do, then will come back to here." I can work with that plan. I remember how to get there from the hospital. We can just walk there it might take us like 35 minutes but it''s better than waiting an hour. We began walking to the hospital keeping an eye out for Little Me in case she was headed our direction. After 35 minutes of walking we made it to the hospital.


    After this we take a right and head straight for the Glass even if my memory is off the glass is as tall as a skyscraper it would be hard for us to miss. After a while of walking we spotted the hour glass and walked straight towards it till we stepped foot on the massive clock. I look around and see the same little person as before I start walking towards him then Adam grabs my arm. There''s no doubt about it, that thing working with Little Me you know that right. Of course I know they are the same species but I don''t think they working together. The 12 are probably just thing that keep the world in line. It''s a guess for sure but I don''t want to run. I''m going to go all in. Somehow we are going to the real world.


    He got a little angry then followed me anyway. It was his idea to go there. We don''t really have a plan B so I''ll take the risk. I get to it and ask to take me to the real world and then he puts out his hand. I completely forgot about that before we were taken. Little Me put something in this thing''s hand. I don''t even know what it was. Then Adam walked in front and ask "How much money for this trip." The thing replied 100s. That one third of all our money either Adam broke or this is a really expensive trip.


    The ground crumbles beneath me once again then I suddenly remember that feeling I''m supposed to remember what it is. Just what was it? The ground is pretty much gone and I''m stuck floating in nothingness. I need to keep conscious as long as possible. This feeling what in the world is it. It''s pitch black and I can barely keep my eyes open. I keep wondering and wondering what this feels like. Just a little longer I''m so close just stay awake please.


    I caught a glimpse of Adam while my eyes tried their hardest to stay open. Think maybe Adam has something to do with it. The blast to the past project? My mom? The gears were turning but felt rusted just screeching at me to stop thinking. The pieces were so close to coming together it was right there.


    I remember my mother and what happened when I saved her then it hit me. It was this exact same feeling I felt the exact same as when I saved my mom. Maybe this is how it feels when you get transported between dimensions. Yeah that''s exactly what it feels like. If that''s the case, what in the world sent us from The Real World to the land of time the first time this happened?


    I couldn''t stay awake much later after that I remembered so many things this time around. The pieces were so much more clear I was so close to figuring it all out.

 The Real World

    Remember remember. Those were the last words I told myself before waking up in the real world in Los Angeles. The feeling I remember now it''s the same one I felt right before waking up in the white void. If my theory is correct, simply breaking time wouldn''t have sent us there''s something or someone had to have caused it.


    Adam woke up after me and was amazed about the frozen city. I went to the timeless, busy street and checked a car and there were people in driving position as if time was still moving. So either A me and Adam are special for breaking the rules or B not being human means we aren''t affected by it or C there are some rules in place making it so we can move.


    It''s likely option B but I''m curious as to why these creatures aren''t affected by time stop but before we work on that we need a living space something we can call home for the time being. I ask Adam about it and he points to a one of the houses that is two stories high and surrounded by other houses he said "We''ll locate there. If they find us we can go to the roof and jump to the other buildings will figure out the escape route after we check out the houses."


    We go inside one of the houses and find 3 people on the couch probably some sort of family. I would feel uncomfortable with 3 people in my house at all times so me and Adam decide to pick them up and kick them out. This might be their house but we have a time crisis and sacrifices have to be made. With that problem settled we decide to unpack. After we finish Adam leaves saying there''s one thing I have to test out before we go any father.


    We decide it''s best to not get separated so I go along with him. We walked and found a gun store and walked in. I see that the only source of weapons were pocket knives and scalpel. A little upgrade would help. Adam grabs a gun, loads it and fires. Nothing happens. I tried a pistol instead thinking it might be just a coincidence but mine didn''t fire either. It makes sense when I think about if nothing could move without us there is no way a bullet could fly through the air. It''s still a good thing we came here even if we don''t have guns there are still way better knives here we could use as self defense. Me and Adam grabbed a couple of knives and went back home.


    The first thing on our to-do list was to create an escape plan. We went into our neighbors house and I''m starting to realize people need to start locking their doors but regardless we go on to the rood and look at our house. We needed something that was about 10 feet long and stable and wide enough for me and Adam to run on.


    We decided to go to the construction store even though I was focused on the escape plan. There was something more on my mind. What sent us here considering the evidence something or someone sent us to the land of time I want to assume it''s one of the 12 but there''s not enough evidence to back it up. Looking for the thing that sent us here might take forever but unless Adam has a better idea after the escape plan it might be what we have to do.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I decided to tell him my plans about looking for what sent us here and he told me. "There''s no point. Not only is this thing almost impossible to find but we are not even 100% sure that it even exists. Do you have any other ideas?" Unfortunately I didn''t get anything from finding the thing I didn''t have any plans. The only other thing was to gather more and more info on what the real world had to offer. I told Adam I had nothing and he just looked down and said "This might get us nowhere but I wanted to know what the hour glass is doing. We can''t analyze it from here but it''s always been on my mind. Do you have any ideas?"


    To be honest I had the same thought but I thought to tackle it later to take on something as huge as the hour glass at this stage could be even more than a waste of time it could actually do damage for us. I reminded him that the glass was too big of a mystery and that we should aim lower. He seemed to just ignore me and go on telling me about the stories he heard from work about how the glass is what makes the land of time functions but it''s obviously not working from the looks of it. I thought about how the hourglass is what makes the land of time function. I thought about the blocks about the hospitals and everything that happened in that place then it hit me.


    It''s a shot in the dark. I might be completely wrong but nothing else makes sense when the hour glass is broken. The only reasonable explanation is that they have to be moving time manually. I asked Adam if he saw any other jobs besides being a doctor. He said "I haven''t even thought about it. I was so focused on anatomy and figuring out these creatures I just assumed their jobs were just like ours. You might be onto something." I didn''t want to leave the real world just yet but this is something that could be huge."


    Adam said to me "I want to leave and find out about how they move time but we can only go here and back so many times. If there''s something you want to check out that''s not ridiculous like searching for the thing that sent us then tell me now." I thought about it for a second. Is there anything I wanted out of this place? I just wanted to go back home. I thought even if it was just for a moment, what if I just stayed here, stopped worrying about getting time back and just enjoyed life. It was a stupid idea I know but I could just imagine. All I did was tell Adam that "I was feeling nostalgic." Adam jumped and looked stunned like he just discovered something or that he just read right through me and knew what I was thinking.


    He said "I know what I want to do before we leave. I want to visit the blast to the past project. That genius, why didn''t I think of that we have to go. I tell Adam it was a great idea and we head out. After walking for ages we found the building that had the project center and opened the door. I felt a wave of nostalgia just being in this room again. It''s crazy this place is why we''re in this mess and I couldn''t be happier to see it.


    I looked to the center of the room and the time machine was still there. There was a huge chance that it didn''t work but we wanted to give it a try anyway. Adam goes to the time machine and opens it. the time machine didn''t have anything inside no buttons no technology it was just a white empty void.

 Back To The Void

    I couldn''t believe this what was the white void doing here? I looked to Adam wondering if he had any ideas but he was just as shocked as I was stunned by the fact the white void was sitting right in front of us. We look at each other in complete silence in otter aw. After looking at Adam and the white void I decided I needed to speak up. "So what are we going to do about this." Adam slap himself trying to set himself back in reality. He said " Yeah we should probably do something about this." Neither of us had anything to say. What were we supposed to do? I just kind of started brain dumping and hoped something would happen.


    "We should probably make sure we can go in and out of the void."


    "Uh yeah good idea we should probably do that. How are we going to do that?"


    "I have no idea."


    "Maybe we should find something to mark our tracks like paint or something."


    "Yeah probably we should also bring stuff incase we can''t go back and fourth."


    "O yeah we should do that."


    "Yeah we should."


    It was obvious we had no idea how to handle this thing but we had some sort of plan. Find paint, bring the suitcase and try to go in and out of the void. This is something I could work with. I thought of what we could need just in case we can''t come back? Disguises of course we still need to hide our identity in case of Little Me. I tell Adam about my plan and we go to the local shop to buy a face mask and take the two IDs from the cashiers. We also take some paint too and head back. I felt bad about it for sure but will give it back probably and it''s for a noble cause I''m sure they''ll understand.


    We went back to the project center and saw the time machine filled with void. We took a deep breath and both took a step in. So far so good we are in the white void now we check if we could go back. I turn around and everything is still there. We lift up our legs and try to walk back into the real world. It was a success and we could easily walk in and out of the white void.


    Excited, we both walked in and painted the ground we walked on to make sure we didn''t get lost. I started thinking of things we could do when we found the portal back to The Land of Time. Well first things first we have to find out how their moving time if they are moving it manually. If that''s the case we should probably look at the jobs around her-.


    There''s no way I look to my left and I see Little Me floating in the white void. I started to walk towards her wondering what to do about it. I thought about all the questions I could ask her. What are you doing in the void? Did you know about the time machine? How do we get out of here? Question after question ran through my mind. Then I remember Little Me probably knows how they move time. If I free her we could get that answer a huge chunk of our problem would be solved. I started to reach out for her and Adam grabbed me by the arm and said "We still can''t trust her, let''s move on."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He''s right there is a chance Little Me isn''t on our side. Then what is she doing here if she was on their side why would they trap her here? If she wasn''t on our side why would she even save me the first time. I was jumping to too many conclusions. There''s many reasons why they would have let us go. I just kept wondering why. It wouldn''t get me anywhere thinking like this. We just need to stay on task and find the exit. Try as I might, the thought of Little Me stays. It was only a short while but I don''t think Little Me has actually done anything to harm me besides when I fought her and that was all on me.


    We found the exit and looked out of it luckily it wasn''t the high one I first came from and we could easily walk back and forth. I look at little me feeling this weird sense of guilt. It''s fine we can always come back, we could always free her later. Yeah it doesn''t matter one day I''ll come back and figure things out. Adam walks out of the white void and calls my name. I snapped out my thoughts and just told myself one more time. It doesn''t matter right now I have to stay focused. I jump out and follow Adam back into the land of time.


    Back to the point: how does time move? I think the first plan of action would be looking for jobs. It''s possible that everyday people are making time moves. That''s a possibility it could also be the 12 it would be so much easier if I could ask Little Me. I have to stop thinking about her. I have to keep reminding myself. It doesn''t matter, it doesn''t matter.


    It still hurts though we been together for a short time but I feel like a monster for abandoning her like this. It''s no use thinking about it just focus on time and how it works. I ask Adam how he got his job as a doctor. He looked at me and said "Well I''m not exactly a doctor but they just wanted some ID and they let me assist there. I don''t think it''s the hospital but I doubt that moving time is hidden from the public. I think we should just go on a bus and look around and see if anything looks promising." A strange thought enter my mind when I heard that. If Adams is right, whatever they are doing is a job and if they just let him into a hospital I doubt they will be super strict on whatever job this is. I can''t rely on that but if all goes well we can work on time first hand.


    We find the bus and start going around town looking at all the different buildings in the area. As I looked at the hour glass one last time I just had to wonder what''s inside it? It could be time itself somehow I don''t know how exactly that would work plus I don''t see how they would be working on it but I think the glass has something to do with it. While I kept coming and going to think after thought the hour glass went out of view.


    During the trip I kept wondering about the glass. What''s even in it I keep assuming its time but time still moves here so that''s clearly not it. Little Me would have known about this I bet. It keeps happening again and again for some reason Little Me keeps entering my mind. I don''t know how I feel about her, whether I miss her or fear her. Whatever, she was my enemy or my partner. In a weird way I feel way more conflicted by her then even time itself.

 Job Interview

    We rode around looking at each building. There were houses, hotels, hospitals, churches, shops etc. There was something that caught my eye. It was a building with the sign hiring on its window. I didn''t have any idea what it was. I ask Adam he didn''t seem to have any ideas either. Is this what we''ve been looking for? I can''t get too excited yet there''s a high chance this is just some retail shop and even if it is what we''re after there''s a chance we''re not qualified but hope was around the corner. The bus stopped and we started to head towards the building. Still even after having the possibility of working on time, Little Me still lurks in my mind. I need to get her out of my mind so I try to speak to Adam just to have something.


    "Do you think they just let anyone in?" Adam hesitated to speak but he spoke up "I haven''t seen a single school here chances our anyone is quote on quote qualified." Man I didn''t even think about that I''ve been off my game lately my mind just keeps wandering to Little Me. Adam''s comment did ease my mind though there is a high chance they just let us in.


    We find the building with the hiring sign. We took a deep breath and entered the building. It wasn''t a shop or apartment, it was a place I had never seen in the real world. The place had what I''m assuming is a Hazard suit but it was way thicker than the normal ones you could tell just by looking at it. I bring my attention to the lady at the counter. We walked up to her and got straight to the point. I told her about how we were looking for a job here and she asked for our IDs. I knew the fake IDs would come in handy so we put them on the desk. She took a look at them and told us we were qualified and gave us a sheet to sign. I think this is the first time in my life I actually read the terms and conditions to any paper but it told me everything I needed to know about what we were signing ourselves into.


    The organization was called TCSE which I assumed stood for something but I don''t know what. The paper said we were tasked with moving time. Looks like I was right these people are moving time manually I read father down and find "TCSE is not responsible for any and all injuries." I can''t believe they treat their employees like trash but that''s fine I''m already ready to take the risk. I kept reading further and it didn''t really tell us how they do it, just that the suits are part of their company and we wouldn''t have to pay for any damages to them and that we would be put under close surveillance during work hours. That last part didn''t sit right with me of course. A job this dangerous would be watch but if someone finds out about our fake IDs we might be in trouble.


    It''s worth the risk though working on time first hand is an offer we can''t refuse. I sign the name on the sheet of paper and hand over the ID with Adam doing the same. She tells us to meet at the hour glass on Thursday 8 am. I check my internal clock and it''s currently Tuesday two days to figure out this whole thing. We say goodbyes and head back to the white void.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    While we were heading back I saw Little Me floating again. She''s been on my mind all day and now she is just taunting me. Unfortunately I know waking up Little Me could cause more problems than solutions so I leave her behind yet again and head back to the project center. I sat down and thought about what I was going to spend these next few days doing if I don''t do anything the thought of Little Me might cause me to do something stupid. I thought about the contract about the hazard suits and everything else involved. I decided it would be a good idea to look at the hour glass sense that''s where we are meeting her. I would prefer something in the real world so I don''t have to cross Little Me again but I can''t really think of anything I want to do here.


    Then Adam gave me the idea of relocating here. its risky but I see why walking from here all the way home would be a pain so I agree to the relocation. All we need is a bed everything else should be fine sense we don''t need food or water but it gives me a distraction for the next few hours which I need right now.


    After we packed up my brain drifted back off to Little Me. Every moment of peace I get she is there to ruin it. She''s taunting me by just existing. Should I just let her go it would be such a relief at this point. There is still too much we don''t know about her and plus having to deal with her and a job would probably put more stress on me . If I could just manage till Thursday I''d be home free. Just two more days I can distract myself for two days.


    I asked Adam if he had any ideas for what to do for the next two days. He looked at me and told me "I want to get a look at the glass sense we''re meeting there. Plus we have two days to kill. I always wonder what it''s actually doing."


    I also thought about going to the glass but that would mean going through the white void meaning she''ll be there. I didn''t have anything else and its better than just waiting here and thinking about it. It was our only option.


    We open the time machine and start heading through the white void. Just as I expected Little Me was there I was prepared though. All I had to do was distract myself with the glass. I have a decently clear imagine of it I can just think about till we get there. I would be lying if I said I wasn''t tempted to go back but I knew Adam would stop me anyway so I kept going.


    We made it into The Land of Time and went straight to the hour glass. I look at it from a distance trying to see how we would work on it. Adam had a different idea though he planted his face at the bottom of glass to take a closer look. He gasped and told me to get over here. I went up and also smashed my face against the glass and he told me to look directly at the sand.


    I saw some sort of war and I saw the destruction of Rome among other things. I understood now the sand was mimicking historic events. Everything was coming into place, the sand was time itself. As we were amazed at the info we discovered I heard a voice. From the distance it was the lady from the counter.

 Inside The Glass

    The lady at the counter asked us what we were doing here. I was worried we might be in danger. She might be able to see something wrong with us. I keep my guard up and listen to what she has to say. Adam speaks first and says "We are looking at our job sight. I took a brief look at the terms and conditions and it sounded like this glass was dangerous."


    She had doubt in her eyes . At first it didn''t sound suspicious but if we really were here because it''s dangerous we would have no reason to have our face directly on the thing. I had to counteract his dumb lie somehow. "We already tested if the glass was safe to touch before we got here. We still don''t know what''s inside though."


    Her face looked even more doubtful and she asked us "You two really didn''t know that time was in the time glass?" We forgot to take that into consideration. This is probably common knowledge for everyone in The Land of Time. How could we forget something like that. Adam just responded "We know it''s time I just don''t know why it''s dangerous everyone told me it''s not worth mentioning sense no one goes near it normally." That was a huge gamble but it was a smart one he should be right, before we broke time no one should have any reason to go near the glass.


    The doubt in her eyes started to fade. Adam did it, all we have to do is hold the conversation and not mess it up. She said to us "Fine I usually I''d wait till your first day to tell you but you guys seem like *good and eager employees*." There was doubt in that last part but I''m just happy to get an explanation.


    "The time in the glass has the ability to actually send you to that time and place. For example behind you would be the revolutionary war if your hand were to touch that you would be sent straight there." So that''s what the suits are for, that way we don''t touch the time directly. It was an explanation I was happy with. I had my doubts that the fact that her explanation is impossible to test out without putting yourself in danger was problematic but at the same time if the time glass was safe we would know it was a lie. Should I keep asking questions she doesn''t seem to completely trust us and I''m sure we can find out what''s happening when we actually start working. There is just so much we don''t know. Stuff that appears to be common knowledge. I don''t want to look suspicious but she might gloss over something important. Adam grabs my shoulder and says "Thanks for the explanation we look forward to working with you on Thursday and will be leaving now." I get it''s not worth the risk if we say something wrong. Who knows what she''ll do to us and plus there''s nothing we can do to make us any less suspicious. The best course of action is to leave and come back tomorrow.


    We went home and Little Me didn''t even cross my mind. The thought that the sand is time itself was the only thing on my mind right now. We might have made ourselves suspicious but it was worth it. I thought of what I would do with this information. The time in the glass has the ability to actually send you to that time and place. This could solve everything if I could just go back to when time broke. I can finally put an end to this journey. I know when it broke and where it is. I just don''t think I have the strength to do it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I asked Adam what he thought about the new info but by the look on his face he either came to the same conclusion as me or he was just thinking about how suspicious we must look right now. He looked at me and said, "If we really wanted to, we can start time again." The fact he wasn''t all to excited about it and the fact he said *if we really wanted to* shows that we definitely came to the same conclusion. Resuming time would mean destroying everything we worked for. The back to the past project and my mom all thrown out the window.


    I couldn''t imagine myself doing it and I don''t think Adam could either. It''s fine though right now this is only a theory I was wrong in the past. It''s just if we so happen to be right I don''t think I could start time again. It''s going to be fine. It''s not like I really need time to start again. I don''t need food or water. We already have shelter and I have Adam staying with me in this frozen time state. Living here wouldn''t actually be so bad. Yeah I can live like this no problem. I''m sure Adam feels the same way he''s been living here longer than I have. He''s probably used to The Land of Time will be fine. I even have a job now. I''ll be fine here. Yeah I''m sure I''ll be fine.


    Tomorrow hits and I''m only one more day before work starts. I wanted to go back to the glass but we can''t risk making our self even more suspicious. There must be another way. There''s always another way we can go to any time period. There must be a way to fix time travel without destroying anything. I could give the cure to someone before the cancer reaches my mom. I realized it wouldn''t work if my mom was fine there wouldn''t be a reason for me to invent time travel. I can just give myself another reason, maybe just tell a younger version of myself I have to invent time travel. A decent plan but there''s a high chance it wouldn''t work. I have to tell an 8 year old me or younger for the plan to be of any use and by the time I reach my 20s I could have just forgotten about the whole thing. It''s flawed because it''s the only thing I could think of.


    My only hope is to figure out more about how time works. Maybe there is another solution. I have to wait till tomorrow, that''s all I can do. After the longest day of my life it was finally the day for work. We grabbed our IDs and headed for the time machine. I pasted Little Me without a second thought. All that mattered was this job and what it had to do with time. We headed straight for The Land of Time and waited at the glass for the counter lady to show up. I check my internal clock at 7:57 and she will be here in 3 minutes or less.


    While I''m checking my clock I hear footsteps and there she was. She waved at us and we waved back. I know this lady suspects us and I can''t do anything to fix how she feels about us. What matters now is this job, where it''s located, how we do it, and how time works. All of that will be figured out today.

 Below The Glass

    Today we start working on time. I started by making small talk. I pretty much gave up on trying not to look suspicious but if I can find out more about her it could be useful. "It''s nice working with you today, how have you been?" She stayed silent. Did I mess up somehow? Was I too friendly? Maybe I''m just pushing it too far. I''ll just forget I''d ask. She walks past us and goes for the glass .


    she said "Descend to midnight." and the clock below us started to turn and lower below the ground. I noticed not all of the clock fell down; the part where the glass stood on was still perfectly stable. Then I saw a tube and little by little time was falling down it. I also saw a bunch of people in those suits right below us. They also had some sort of glass. The lady at the counter gave me and Adam those suits and told us to put them on. After we did she directed our attention to the glass and the tube and told us "Our job is simple, bring the time from up there and bring it to him over there. He will control the time here until we find out how to get the hourglass working again." The man she was referring to was a large man with 12 arms grabbing time from the people right below him. I wondered just what that thing is, is it sentient or is it just a machine. I wanted to ask but this is probably common knowledge here and we already look pretty suspicious best to just keep quiet for now.


    We stopped descending and she told us where to find our schedules and told us to get started asap. There''s clearly so much she''s not telling us. This is definitely an attempt of screwing us up but I was watching the people closely. I walked away from her and Adam followed. I saw people going to the tube empty handed and leaving with the glass. I knew the glass was there, no questions asked. We went to the tube and I was correct. Right next to the tube were the glass containers I needed. After grabbing it I turned around seeing the lady was gone. I didn''t know if that was good or not but it meant something had changed.


    I filled up my glass container all the way and tried to grab it but when I made contact one of the layers of the suit had peeled off. What was that what did I do wrong? I looked around to see if anyone noticed but more important what they were doing that I wasn''t. I saw most of their glasses were only filled half way or less. I filled it to the brim. How was I supposed to unfill the glass without losing my arms in the process? Then it came to me. I told Adam to stand back and grab another container and used it tipped the glass over then quickly put the glass in my hand where the time was flowing. Then some of the time started glowing before it hit the glass it stopped but I couldn''t help but think I shouldn''t bring this glass to the lady or the machine. I grabbed the original container and started walking walking towards the machine then I saw the lady on top of it they were talking for sure but I couldn''t make out what it was.


    Luckily I had an easy way of getting close to them. She told herself to get close to the man and he''ll control time. I walked up towards them and tried my best to make out what they were saying. I heard them talking first the lady then the machine.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "So any ideas on fixing time. We can''t do this forever"


    "First things first we have to find the two responsible for this. When we do, we can figure out what to do next."


    "That''s perfect to be honest I think I might have found them."


    As much as I wanted to listen I had to leave before I got any more suspicious. This was a huge problem as I expected that lady was on to us but she hit the nail right on head we practically just leapt into her arms. I check my internal clock at 8:30 am. We leave this place at 10:00 am. I have to be stuck with her for another hour and a half. I know I said I was giving up on not looking suspicious but this is too much if I don''t act normal they might just take us right here and now.


    I returned to the tube of time and filled my glass half way. I wanted to wait for Adam but now even that''s risky. I walked back for round two listening close to what they had to say. The lady then the machine.


    "Have you ever met someone known as Emma Rogers or James Coolmen."


    "Nope, not as long as I''ve been here, that is strange. You might be onto something here"


    "I couldn''t agree more."


    There right on our tail coming here was the wrong choice sooner or later we might get caught. I''ll free her after discussing this with Adam but right now I can get more info I can do another loop. I grab the time and head back for more of the conversation. The lady starts first just as always


    "Do you know what happened to that Racheal girl I heard 4 sent her to the White Void for letting her out."


    "Yes I know we had confirmed she met with at least one of the time travelers but she refused to talk."


    "The worst part is we still haven''t found Adam yet just where is he."


    Little Me refused to talk. What would she even gain from that? Maybe she was on our side after all plus they haven''t found Little Adam. If he''s like Little Me he could have helped us. This was like having all the doubt and fear be lifted off my shoulder in an instant but just as quickly a new burden of guilt and regret set its place.


    I can''t believe it. I cast her aside over and over again, pasting her every time I entered the void and I did nothing what''s wrong with me. I snap out of it. I can''t focus on that right now.


    I left to get another batch of time then I heard something. I turned around and the lady was leaving. It seemed Adam heard one last bit of the conversation that''s good. After she left there wasn''t much to do. I don''t know much about the machine to decide what to do with it so I just did my hours. It was 9:58 just enough time for one more loop. I grabbed the time and headed for the machine. He looked at me directly and said "I''ll see you tomorrow." I gave him a smile and said "You two." I see Adam on the clock waiting as he avoids eye contact. Makes sense they suspect both of us, it would be problematic if we associate with each other. That was my first day of work. This job is nothing but problematic there so much I need to discuss with Adam. What to do and how to do it. This job is our biggest victory but also our greatest problem.

 The Return of Little Me

    There was another person who went to the clock and said "Ascend to day break." Then the clock began to rise. Everyone stayed silent the whole time but now I know how to get up and down from the glass "Descend to midnight." and "Ascend to day break." The magic words that can get us up and down. I saw Adam leaving. He wasn''t heading towards The White Void and neither will I there just to many people watching. I go the opposite direction of Adam for now it''s better not to associate.


    I headed back after 15 minutes and it looked like the coast was clear. I check behind me, no one in sight. I go into the White Void. I look at Little Me then went towards her thinking of letting her go but I decide angst it I need to tell Adam about what I just discovered before I do this. I went through the time machine and saw Adam waiting for me. I start the conversation.


    "So any ideas on fixing time. We can''t do this forever"


    "First things first we have to find the two responsible for this. When we do, we can figure out what to do next."


    "That''s perfect to be honest I think I might have found them."


    Adam follows up with


    "I think the two time travelers grabbed fake IDs."


    "that''s possible but do you have anyway of confirming this."


    I continue with


    "Have you ever met someone known as Emma Rogers or James Coolmen."


    "Nope, not as long as I''ve been here, that is strange. You might be onto something here"


    "I couldn''t agree more."


    Adam goes on and says


    "Plus there''s Racheal and Adam. We told them not to let them out but it looks like they did anyway."


    "I remember very well that Racheal and Adam are insane. We should have known this would happen."


    I follow up with


    "Do you know what happened to that Racheal girl I heard 4 sent her to The White Void for letting her out."


    "Yes I know we had confirmed she met with at least one of the time travelers but she refused to talk."


    "The worst part is we still haven''t found Adam yet just where is he."


    Adam finishes with


    "We don''t know but it''s unlike Racheal to leave him alone. We don''t know what Adam actually did we have no confirmation if he let them out or if there associated at all."


    "I guess I''ll try to find him then see you tomorrow."


    We then discuss how we felt about this mess. I ask him "So what do you think about the whole thing?" He took a defeated seat and said "We can''t go back tomorrow, they''re onto us if we go back they might just take us". I couldn''t agree more to be honest I was thinking the same thing as much as an opportunity this would be there''s no way we can go back. There was just one thing on my mind. I just had to say "Let''s free Little Me, it''s clear she''s on our side." I waited for a response he took his time responded "No we don''t know what her true intuitions are just that she''s not with the those two." I was upset at this and told him as such "Are you kidding me Adam of course she is why else would she refuse to talk I get your worried and a lot has happen but are only source of info is a trapped we need something and Little Me is the answer."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    He sat in silence for a moment then got up and said "I''ll give her a chance. I don''t exactly trust her but I trust you will let her go." I gave a sigh of relief and we headed towards The White Void. I look at Little Me and tap her head and her eyes open up. She saw me and her eyes were nothing but shock she said "O hey um thanks? "Her thanks sounded more like a question than appreciation. I can see why I did try to trap her in a room with no explanation at all. My heart sank when I remembered what I did to her with no justification or reason. I just nodded. I don''t know how to respond and I assume she feels the same.


    I remember that she didn''t know about the time machine. I tried to explain to her the situation and she thought about it for a little bit. The silence was getting to me. I wanted to talk to her but I don''t know about what. I remember how Adam felt about her and decided I wanted to ask her a question. If she answers, maybe he''ll begin to trust her more.


    I need to be careful about my question even though she''s not with the machine she still hides some things from us. The height I wanted to know about it ever since I saw it was at ground level. It was a question about the void so I didn''t know how to feel about it but the only other thing on my mind was the machine and I think that has a higher chance of being classified.


    I asked Little Me "Um I wanted to know why is this version of the void so close to the ground?" She looked at me and I couldn''t tell how she felt. I couldn''t get a reading on her. Was she happy, to see me terrified, angry I had a weird feeling she doesn''t know either. Still she answered "Levels in The White Void are kind of like a security system in the real world. You two were placed in the highest level for being time travelers. I got put in her for being friends with you two. I think this is level one."


    I was so lucky she told us I still don''t know how much she can tell us but this should show Adam that Little Me isn''t all bad. Then Adam asked a question of his own "How did you get to the highest level? You say it was similar to a security system but I doubt they would just let you in, especially since you aren''t allowed to associate with us." She told him "I was only allowed to see Racheal. They thought it would be helpful sense I am her in a way. I let her free and Adam did the same to you. I haven''t seen him sense I''m sorry about that."


    I can tell he still didn''t fully trust her but he asked all he wanted to and started to walk home. I however wasn''t done yet I asked "How do we get to higher levels in the void. She said "We need permission from 4 unless we do we shouldn''t even be here." On the walk home I thought what should I ask of course I had questions but there all just blurred. Well there was one thing but Adams here. I push Little Me aside and whispered in her ear "What''s the deal with that machine at the bottom of the clock." She gave me a puzzled looked and asked "machine?". Guess I was wrong in that aspect I corrected myself "Well the man at the bottom. He''s big has twelve arms". She put her fist in her mouth and I can tell they have some sort of history. She told me "He''s number 12 he the man responsible with watching over time and our biggest threat." I asked her to elaborate on why he was are biggest threat. "Well he''s not it just he''s closed to number 1. You see 12 isn''t actually allowed to leave the time zone or as you call it the bottom of the clock but 1 is tasked with order. Her job switches a lot I don''t know what she''s doing right now but last time I saw her she was recruiting for the time zone."


    It all clicked. I can''t believe we got so close to 1 and didn''t even realize it. I thought she was just some lady who saw through our plans but she''s are biggest threat and she''s looking for Adam. The lady at the counter aka number 1.

 The Twelve

    This is bad, we made direct contact with number 1. Actually this could be good. I know her face now but she''s on to us. Imagine the worst case scenario she knows for a fact. Me and Adam are the time travelers even if it''s a stretch it''s not too far from the truth. That leads into problem 2 she''s after Little Adam none of us have a clue where he is but if 1 gets to him who knows what will happen. The fact is she still thinks Little Me is trapped in The White Void. We have the jump on her and we can use this element of surprise. I tell her it''s fine and we should go back home. I want to make sure we''re on the same page with this new information. I also wanted to investigate something.


    I told "When we get home I want you to tell me about each of the twelve" She nods and Adam doesn''t have any objections. First I need to go over what we already know we have met 1,12 and the one that sent us to the real world. We never made contact but the lady at the counter mentioned 4. I know 3 out of 12 I knew this was going to be a long explanation. I prepare myself for what''s about to happen.


    We made it home and Little Me asked for paper and pencil. I get her some and we all sit at a table. Little Me starts to write and explain the twelve to us. "I''ll explain briefly first then answer any questions when I''m done is there any objections." Me and Adam both nodded agreeing then she put the pencil on the paper and started explaining "Number 1 is our biggest threat. She controls the order and can do whatever she wants with us. Number 2 is the transporter from the land of time to the real world which would be problematic if we didn''t have the time machine . Number 3 is the person who watches over the real world. Don''t be alarmed though the world is huge the chances of him finding us is very slim. Number 4 is the man who rules over the white void sending criminals to various levels. Number 5 and Number 6 were tasked with keeping the hour glass in check but now that time has fallen they are no were to be found. Number 7 replaced them for the time being making sure the glass was still intact. Number 8 gives us energy. He''s the reason the buses move in the land of time and not in the real world. Number 9 makes the building the hotels, hospitals etc. Number 10 runs most of the hospitals behind the scenes but I didn''t see him at the place Adam worked at. Number 11... died when you two showed up. I don''t know who she was or what she did but I know she''s not with us anymore. Then there''s 12 the man at the bottom of the glass. Any questions."


    I wanted her to elaborate on 11. She looked like she''d know more about her then she let on. I still don''t want to break trust between her and Adam. It''s obvious she didn''t tell us for a reason. I looked at the chart again and asked my questions "Can the twelve die of natural causes like getting stab suffocation etc?" She squeezed her palms together and nodded. I knew my next course of action I asked her "Does number 3 have any sort of pattern that would make him easier to track." Little Me looked scared but Adam smirked. I think they both knew what I was about to say and Adam commented "Good idea but I already thought about that. Cars don''t work here unlike The Land of Time even if he had his location pinpointed we couldn''t get to him." I sat down for a little bit then came up with an Idea "Can we lead 3 to us I don''t know if he walks or what but if we can somehow get him to our location we can work on a plan from there."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She thought about it for a little told us "We can lead him here directly." We all gather around and listened to Little Me''s plan she said "What I have learned 3 cannot sense are location but he can teleport to us if we can get enough attention on our self we can lure him." I sat down and thought about what can really stick out, something crazy, something loud. Sounds like nothing moves here there''s nothing blocking it if we make a loud enough sound maybe we can reach wherever 3 is. I told this idea to the rest of them. Adam thought for a little and said "That could work but it might be a problem. I don''t really understand how his teleportation works he might be too quick to capture us and if he can teleport at will there''s a chance we can''t even catch him." he turned to Little Me and asked "Do you know how his teleportation works" Little Me nodded and said "He teleports right in front of the person in question but it takes a lot out of him he shouldn''t be able to teleport immediately but I don''t know how long it takes for him to recharge."


    Little me has been strangely cooperative recently. Don''t get me wrong it''s not a problem but I feel like something off. That doesn''t matter right now back to the plan of action. When 3 teleports he won''t be able to do it again for a while plus he can die in the same ways we do. Best course of action would be capture and threaten.


    Even if we do manage to capture him he''s only temporary. He''ll get his strength back eventually. The plan is flawed but I think we can work with it. So how are we going to go about it? Adam spoke up and came up with a plan "Will split up go into separate rooms then make the noise if 3 teleports it will only be in front of one of us. When he does will ambush and capture him and make him talk.


    It can work but what sound can go far enough. I told them my plan "We should use an instrument , preferably percussion. It''s loud and shouldn''t be affected by time and is easy to access." They both agreed. This idea could work. I know it can. I wanted to mention one more thing. "Before we go we have to decide what were going to ask 3 we have a limited time and I want to know what questions we have to ask before hand."


    We thought about it for a moment then Adam spoke." I should ask about 1 and 12 some sort of weakness or trait we can take advantage of if we have those two wrapped around our fingers. Fixing time should be easy." I was actually thinking something a little different. I told them "I was actually thinking what if instead we teamed up with 1 and 12."


    *No question for me this time runout if ideas. But if you guys have question for me I would love to answer them*

 The plan

    After I told them my plan I saw shock on everyone''s faces and I knew I said something outrageous. I mean I wasn''t wrong. They both want time to be fixed as much as we do. The only reason I didn''t just approach them head on is because I was afraid of what they could do to us. If I just ask 3 I can get my answer and decide whether or not we should go through with this. I told them and an argument started amongst the group. Little Me started by yelling "I don''t even know what they do to us and it''s not like 3 can''t just lie to us he might say they''re friendly and then they''ll kill us on the spot." This is the first time I ever sensed The White Void. I saw Little Me get angry. Maybe she is getting more comfortable with us.


    I responded "Fine will ask for the weakness first then afterwards will ask 3 if 1 and 12 are actually good people. I wasn''t planning to go in without some sort of back up plan." Adam groaned at me and said "He could just lie about that to it''s not like we can just test it ourselves." I immediately called out his bluff " You were the person who said to ask a question. I know you have a plan to test them, just stick to your plan. If it makes you guys feel better if we happen to have enough time we can ask for another one of the twelve instead."


    The group finally started to calm down and just took some time to think. I think we finally came to an agreement. I took a deep breath and finally shared my thoughts "Can we all agree to this plan? Lure 3 captures him and asks these three questions. One If we were to approach 1 and 12 what would they do to us . Two what are 1 and 12 weakness and Three where are the other 12 and what weakness do they have." Adam immediately objected "You want us to ask about the approach first? I thought we agreed that finding the weaknesses is our first priority." I actually agree finding the weakness is our priory but I told him "If we asked what the weakness is first the chance of him lying to catch us off guard increases so that''s why I decided to start off with that." Adam told me. "We have no clue what his time limit is. We shouldn''t bet on having all three questions. I get what you''re saying but even if they''re friendly we''re going to approach them anyway at one point might as well have the weakness in store." I thought about it for a bit and decided to agree to switching up the plan.


    Next up was preparation. We needed loud instruments, a rope and a chair and I wanted to go back to the gun store just in case Little Me needed some sort of weapon and finally ear plugs. We needed to hear each other for sure but if 3 can be heard that across the world it might make us deaf. We went out and grabbed the thing we needed now we wait for tomorrow and initiate the plan.


    Tomorrow hits and we find a perfect place to initiate the plan. an Apartment building each one of us takes a room right next to each other. It''s perfect at a distance where we can hear each other scream at any given point and we can sneak up on 3 without him noticing. Time to start phase 1. We put in our ear plugs, counted down and started hitting our instruments as loud as we can. Even with the earbuds I could hear them loud and clear. I wasn''t worried about my ears, this isn''t loud enough to break them but I know if one of us screams or stops playing I would know. After a minute of playing I heard the room next to me stop playing and a scream. Little Me stopped playing and we did the same. I took off my ear plugs, grabbed the rope and left my room as quietly as possible. I headed outside and saw Adam already at the outside of the room. I went next to him and put up my hand showing three fingers. It was time for phase 2. I counted down with my fingers and we burst through the door and took 3 hostages and attached him to a chair.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Everything was going to plan, it was time for phase 3. I went up to him and started my questioning "I want you to tell us what weaknesses 12 and 1 have." He didn''t reply. He just sat there in silence. I kicked his chair down and grabbed my knife and repeated "I want you to tell us what weaknesses 12 and 1 have." He stayed silent so I stabbed his arm. He screamed in pain and I put him back up and I asked again "I want you to tell us what weaknesses 12 and 1 have." Still nothing.


    It was clear it wasn''t working. I looked to the others and Adam stepped up and told us to cover our ears and hit one of the instruments. I could hear 3 screaming in pain, good thinking Adam there was a chance his hearing could even be enhanced considering he could hear that across the world. Adam asks him again "What weakness do 12 and 1 have?" He still said nothing.


    This is bad I thought of the possibility of him just waiting for his time limit to be up but I thought we could torture him into talking. Now what do I do? just stab him again? Adam stabbed his stomach and went really deep into it and then pulled it out. He said to 3 "I''m a doctor and you probably don''t need me to tell you this but that wound is a fetal I can heal you just tell us what we need to know. What are the weaknesses of 12 and 1." Even through all that they didn''t speak. I went back up to 3 and decided to ask something different "If you don''t want to talk about 12 and 1 fine but if you don''t feel like getting stabbed again you can tell us about the other twelve." I thought this could work. 12 and 1 are practically royalty in this place. I thought he might have some weird sense of loyalty to them.


    Even when I gave him the option to talk about something else he refused to speak. Unfortunately for him I''m a girl of my word so I stabbed him again. I didn''t know if he was going to die but if he wasn''t going to speak it might be better if he did. Adam goes up to him and says "This is your last chance if you don''t want to die then I would start tal-." Just like that 3 vanished into thin air taking nothing with him the rope and chair were stained with blue blood and so were our knives.


    This could be problematic. We just gave 3 a rough estimate of were we live and we didn''t even get anything except that the 12 are extremely loyal to each other. The problem is what to do now: do we move out, do we stay, do we try to capture him again and kill him? I didn''t really know what to do all I knew was this plan was a failure.

 Capture

    After that we decided to go home even though he knew the apartment he had no knowledge of the project center. We all got back home and sat down and thought about what to do. I worried about where we were going to live. The real world isn''t safe. We can''t really move out without a car or plane and even if we just walked really far we would have no way of going back to the land of time. What to do, what to do I couldn''t think of anything.


    While I was still thinking Adam grabbed the chart. As he went through all 12 again I tried thinking of some sort of plan to get us out of this situation. We all just sat in silence. I didn''t have a single idea. Finally Adam stood up with a grin on his face but I could tell there was fear behind that smile. He started to speak and said "I have an idea let''s capture 2 instead if 2 is the gateway between the real world and the land of time. If we capture him it wouldn''t matter that everyone knows we''re here cause they won''t be able to get to us." That could work but how in the world are we going to capture 2. 3 could have probably told him already I mean he can teleport. I spoke my mind then Little Me spoke up "Actually this could work 3 isn''t allowed to exit the real world and without 2 the only way here is the time machine and I''m pretty sure you guys can close it." Adam nodded.


    I started to get the plan. Still I was kind of worried if we could pull it off after the last plan. Little Me must have seen my doubts help me out. She reminded me the only reason the last plan failed was because we didn''t know about 3''s resolve. She was right, we don''t really need to capture him. It would be nice too but he could die for all we care about were just shutting off everyone from the real world.


    I agreed to the plan and we started preparing. We already have the rope knife and chair even though the rope might need replacing. Adam grabbed pencil and paper and started to explain the plan "Tiny Racheal you have to stay behind me in the void and Racheal are not exactly safe but they already identified you and sent you to the white void. As for me and Racheal were Emma Rodgers and James Coolmen we should be ok. If push comes to shove we''ll just have to kill 2" Little Me looked up at him with shock and nodded her head even though anyone can tell she didn''t want to.


    The plan was for me and Adam to look around for a bit when we both confirm no one''s around we give Little Me the signal telling her to make our move then we all gang up on him and bring him here. This could work. We have room for error if someone is there we can just head back and if someone were to discover who we really are we can just kill 2 it''s not optimal but it gets the job done.


    We decided that the signal for ok would be a thumbs up, the signal for retreat would be a thumbs down and the signal for kill would be in the middle. We both got up and grabbed our IDS and Little Me followed behind.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I decided to talk things over with Little Me while we walked there "Are you ready for this." She nodded in agreement. All I could do was nod back. There was nothing to discus. Little me finally spoke up and said "Have you ever killed someone." I nodded in disagreement and she turned around and I could tell she was horrified at the fact there''s a chance she might have to kill someone one of the twelve no less. Now that I think about it when we were capturing 3 she didn''t say a word once when we trapped him. I didn''t even consider how much this must hurt for a child even if that child is me. I lie through my teeth and tell her "You''ll be fine you probably won''t even have to kill him and even if you did I know you''ll get the job done I believe in you." She smiled after that I couldn''t tell if that was fake or if I generally made her feel better.


    Either way I just wanted to give her confidence because there''s a high chance she might have to kill him. 2 is located at the clock where 1 might be if she happens to show up after we''re all out she definitely would have to kill him. I can only pray that doesn''t happen. I hate to put this on a child but there''s no way we could live if they could just walk in here. We saw the exit we closed and told Little Me to stay put. He told me to go first he didn''t explain why but I''m assuming he just wants to watch Little Me for a bit.


    Fine by me I walk out of the white void and looked around no one yet. I walk a little father then gave Adam the thumbs up to keep moving. I kept walking and 2 was in my sights. I was getting nervous but we already came so far I look behind and Adam is nowhere to be found.


    Panic set in and I didn''t know what to do was Adam right about Little Me this whole time. Should I kill 2 I''m not risking things just in case Adam could see me I gave him the thumbs to the middle to kill. There wasn''t any sign of either of them then it''s up to me to finish this. I sprint towards 2 reaching into my pocket for my knife.


    Then I saw 1 appear from my peripheral vision. I kept running, stopping would do me no good. I just had to go for the kill. I saw 1 sprinting and she was way faster than I imagined, almost catching up in an instant before I knew it she was right in front of me. I try to stab her with my knife but she dodged it quickly and hit me something I was unable to see then I blacked out


    I didn''t expect to but I woke up in a chair and a rope tied around me I look around and saw Little Me right next to me I look forward and see 1. We messed up big time the plan fail. I don''t see Adam anywhere where is he. I look in front of me and see Adam but something was off maybe it was because I just woke up but he didn''t look ok what did they do to him while I was gone I could only wonder. My eyes start to focus and I could take one good look at him. I take another look and I expected to see bruises and cuts maybe even a stab wound but it was so much worst. When I took another look he was shorter than usual. He looked around 8-9 then it hit me. The person right in front of me is Little Adam.

 Little Adam

    What is Little Adam doing here, where''s normal Adam, where are we. I look at Little Me. Her eyes felt distant. I think she was more shocked than anything. Maybe she had some sort of past with him that I cannot say for sure but from the way she looks at him I don''t think she considers him an enemy. I saw 1 leave the room and left just the three of us behind. She might have gone after Adam.


    I look at Little Me and she still has distanced as ever. I decided to take matters into my own hands. This plan made me realize I shouldn''t be bringing Little Me into these problems. I asked him "So what do you want from us? "I really wanted to ask where Adam was but I knew he would probably refuse to answer so I decided to ask something he might."


    He looked at me and said "I want time to be fix and you and James are the only one who can fix it." James? Does he mean Adam what is that even supposed to mean? Little spoke "What happen why did you capture us is it because old Adam abandoned you?!" Her voice was cracking. I could tell this guy meant a lot to her but right now was not the time to get into that. Adam looked at her and I could tell he was holding back tears as well. Little Adam told her "Well instead of older Adam and older Racheal lets just call them by their new IDs Emma and James." He avoided her question entirely; he was probably hurting just as much as her.


    Right now I just want to get out of here Little Me is suffering and Adam could be fighting 1 for all I know and I don''t even know where I am. I give up and just decided to ask and get it over with "Where''s Adam." He smiled, laughed and pointed at himself saying "Adam is right in front of you are you blind or something." I wasn''t amused one bit. All I know now is that he won''t tell me where Adam is. I''m just stuck here with no way out. I was looking around trying to find something, just some way out there must be something, anything. While I was trying to think of someway out Little Adam decided to start a conversation.


    "I''m on your side and as for James aka older Adam he''s with 1 right now we decided to keep you two separated. Who knows what you two would come up with if you were together. All I want to do is fix time."


    I got angry at him but I needed to hold it in. I couldn''t yell or get overly aggressive at him and be rude. I just had to talk to him like I had respect for him. "I also want to fix time but right now we don''t have any ideas." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He sighed and said "We know if you knew how to fix time you would have done it by now but I still want your help."


    I want your help?! What do you mean by I want your help is capturing up and tying us up helping?! We would have trusted you if you just showed up. I told my self to calm down and take a deep breath really thinking before I spoke. I know he did this cause Adam didn''t trust him. I took another breath and started to speak.


    "So do you have any ideas on fixing time?" He nodded his head no.


    He stood up and untied us and then signaled to follow. We followed him and took the exit from this room when we went outside. I decided to examine and try my best to see where we are. I looked around and I saw a bunch of rooms. I decided not to count them because it would be a waste of my time but I know it''s way too many rooms to be someone''s house. A hotel or a hospital maybe? The room we were in was pretty empty. Maybe it''s abandoned, maybe it''s some sort of work place. I look around to find any more hints. I looked for room numbers beside the door and there were none so that takes hospital out of the equation. Little Adam then opened a room and I saw the normal Adam sitting still tied up.


    I walked in and opened my mouth but before I said anything Little Adam told me "We will be monitoring your every word don''t even try to do something or we will have to send you back into the void." I looked at 1''s face and she seemed annoyed by the fact that he said that. I thought about for a moment why would he say that it was to scare us? I think there''s more to this. I have been here for quite a bit now and no one has been this direct to me this whole time there is another layer to this child. I couldn''t focus on that right now they were not going to leave the room so it was me and Adam surrounded by our two biggest threats. I had to choose my words carefully one word and were sent to the white void.


    I thought for a bit and finally said, "Adam, do you know where we are?" He nodded no but that''s fine, now that I know Adam is ok I could put my mind at ease. Actually that question wasn''t for Adam at all. I didn''t want to start off by asking Little Adam questions if I did it that way 1 would be suspicious of what I''m really doing. I wanted to ask Little Adam this. I don''t know how much he is willing to tell us or what his end game is so I''ll grab that information indirectly. I turned to Little Adam and asked "How about you, do you know where we are?" He nodded and said "Where below the glass."


    I looked around and said" I don''t see 12 anywhere, what part of the glass are we?" Before Little Adam could open his mouth 1 put her hand over it. Just by the looks of things Little Adam is a lot more helpful then 1 I think he might actually be on our side. I decided to give myself a new objective: get alone with everyone here. I want to know if Little Adam is on our side. I want to ask Adam what the plan is after we get out ,I want to ask Little me about her past ,I want to know what in the world is going on in 1s head and most importantly I want to know if 12 could help me with my new plan to fix time.

 Separation

    All I need to do right now is to get the group separated from each other. It shouldn''t be too hard. 1 already left us with Little Adam once. I''m sure there not angst doing it again as long as there''s a clear advantage in doing so. What advantage can I give them by separating us? I would say stopping an escape plan but Little Adam said that would lead into the white void so that''s a no go. Right now according to Little Adam they just want to fix time. I can''t really be too sure that fixing time is Little Adam''s goal. I still have no clue what''s going on in 1s head or what she''s after. There is a possibility she''s just like Little Adam but I shouldn''t bank on it.


    I need to be conscious first of all what comments are and aren''t allowed. I decided to ask Little Adam about this. "You said earlier that if we tried something we would get sent to the white void would you mind telling us what this something is." I said this for two reasons. One is obviously I want to know the boundaries but I wanted to see what 1 would do. If she shut''s him up then I''ll assume her goal is sending us to the void and for some reason she can''t do that right now but if she lets him speak then it''s safe to assume her goal is something else.


    Little Adam started to speak but before he could get a word out 1 gave him a look and he stopped right in his tracks. I think I''ll give up on this plan. I don''t know what the boundaries are for what I can and can''t say and 1s goal is to get me out of her. I need a different plan. Adam then spoke up and said "1 you been quiet this whole time would you tell us your goal in capturing us." That was a good play by Adam. He backed her into a corner and it''s easy info. If she says very little to nothing my assumptions would pretty much be confirmed and if she does speak will hear her goal right from her mouth.


    She turned to him and said "I don''t need to tell you that information, I''m just her to monitor you." At that point I think both me and Adam figure out what 1s thought process is like. One confuses them by giving as little info as possible. Two wait for them to slip up and take them into the white void. I''m curious though why doesn''t she just send us away what contract is stopping her from getting rid of us?


    I would ask Little Adam but 1 would probably just shut him down. At this point I should just assume Little Adam won''t be able to talk thanks to her. Now I just want her out of the picture. The problem is how I would go about that. I''m on thin ice. I don''t want to risk going to the void saying anything to Adam could be risky. Little Me is still in the room. Maybe I can use her knowledge on this place to our advantage. She has probably been below the glass multiple times and probably knows exactly where we are. I just don''t know if it''s worth the risk. At worst we can get sent to the void. Maybe Little Me knows what the conditions are for the thing we can say.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    It might be worth it. I turn to her and ask "Do you have any ideas what the conditions are?" She nodded her head no and turned to Adam and asked the same thing. He looked up and nodded in disagreement. I thought about what the conditions were but something hit me. I decided to tell the team about it. I said "It might be risky but I don''t think we''re at risk for trying to figure it out. We don''t need to stay silent about it if we work together. I think we can figure it out."


    Then 1 grabbed me by the shoulder and said "We were wrong for putting you two together, we should have known it would end up like this." The plan worked. She was dragging me out of the room just as planned. Now that 1s out the picture I can leave Adam and Little me to figure out his true intent. While we were walking I noticed something I didn''t before. It was at the end of the hallway but it was an exit to the room I used to work in. 12 was right there he''s right in front of me if I can just get some alone time with him.


    1 found a room and threw me inside and closed the door. She just stood close to the door like she was trying to block it but there''s no way I would risk trying to escape knowing the void is right around the corner. This is fine though I don''t think she''s willing to talk but I can at least try. I ask "So what''s the plan here? Why did you lock us up?" She didn''t say anything . So this is the game we''re playing. She''s just going to let me talk to myself so she doesn''t slip up. I admit it was a smart play on her part right now all I can do is wait. That''s fine by me. I know Adam, Little Adam and Little me are in the same room right now they figure out something.


    I just sat there for a while. I didn''t want to risk my chances with 1 I don''t think she''ll crack and trying might get me sent away. It was nothing but pure silence for a while. I wonder about what the others were talking about. Wondering all I could do right now just wonder and stare at the ceiling. After waiting for a bit, 1 said "Get up and follow me." She reached out for my hand and dragged me out of the room. I don''t know why but I''m sensing she''s in a hurry. She walks up to the room the others were in and presses her ear against the wall. She stood there for about 3 seconds and then burst open the door. I walked around her to see that the other 3 were nowhere to be found.


    1 began to get angry and aggressively grabbed my hand. She began opening every door, each one being empty. I heard her whisper under her breath "Where are they?" I wish I knew but I think it''s best to stop 1 from finding them but I don''t want to risk getting sent to the void. I still don''t know what the conditions are. She seems aggravated though maybe I can get some answers when she''s not in a clear state of mind. I began to start a conversation with her.


    "Where do you think they are?"


    "I don''t know, that''s why I''m looking!"


    "What do you think they''re doing?"


    "I DON''T KNOW THATS WHY I''M LOOKING!"


    "I know Adam better then anyway if you tell me what I want to know I can lead you straight to him."


    I decided to take a page out of Adam''s book and start bluffing. The truth is I don''t have a clue where they are. Little Adam is probably leading the group and I don''t know the first thing about him but I don''t think she knows that maybe just maybe this could work.

 The New Plan

    I decided to take my first step in getting info out of her. If were going to be together we might as well make it useful. She growled at me then said "I''ll hear what you want to know then decide if I want to make a deal." Fine by me I go ahead and ask my questions "First what are the conditions of what I can and cann- " Before I even finished she said no and denied the whole thing all together. Is she hoping I slip up with my question if that''s the case she might be able to reverse the roles bribing me by keeping me out of the void to help her. Maybe that''s what she did with Little Adam. I decided not to risk it and told her "That was my only question, if you don''t want to answer it you can keep walking around aimlessly." She continued walking and looking.


    Checking every room we passed by as we went father and father into the hallway I saw 12 sitting there managing time. They''re were others bringing time to him but none of that mattered to me. 12 walked up to him and started yelling at him "I know those 3 must have passed here. I checked every room so where are they." 12 sighed and said "They went up, they knew I wouldn''t be able to chase them in the state I''m in, they can be anywhere right now."


    My heart sank 12 was right there in front of me should I risk telling him there''s also 1 to worry about. I wanted to be alone with 12 when I purpose my solution but that might be wishful thinking I might never get this shot again. I thought about it and decided it might be worth a shot. I said "12 may I talk to you for a second there is something I want to tell you."


    1 got angry at me and grabbed my hand and started dragging me to the clock center but 12 stopped her and told me to proceed. Now that my biggest fear is out of the way I gathered my courage and told him my plan.


    "The problem we face is there''s no way for me to invent time travel without breaking time no matter how hard I thought about it. Every outcome with me making time is a dead end. However there might be a alternative option what if it wasn''t me who made time travel."12 bent down and decided to listen a bit longer so I kept talking


    "I already know how time travel works. If you send us to a point in time I''m sure I can just tell someone how to do it and have them make time travel solving all our problems." This is it. I thought about this for a while and it''s perfect my mom would be safe cause I can still give her the cure and time travel is invented safe and sound.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    12 sat there for a bit sighed and said "it won''t work, the only alternative is to get rid of time travel entirely."


    What was wrong with this guy? I wanted to yell at him but I still didn''t know the conditions so I had to keep it respectful. "I''m sorry to say this but getting rid of time travel is the reason we''re here in the first place."


    He leaned down at me and said "That is only somewhat correct, What you created was a time loop. What I''m talking about is destroying the loop before it could even begin."


    I got angry. I knew nothing was wrong with my plan; he was just being stubborn. If we tell him how to make time travel he wouldn''t have a real reason so he can''t make the same mistake me and Adam did. It''s impossible for him to screw up. I calm myself down and said "I don''t exactly know how I''m supposed to do that."


    He got up and said "You simply have to destroy the core. The time loop began because you used time travel to mess up an essential point in time. I don''t know why but you either destroy it by accident or on purpose but if you really want to fix time you have to break the core."


    He was right. I didn''t want to admit it but even I knew what he meant by essentials point in time. He means my mother''s death by fixing it he means stop me from ever giving her the cure. I knew for a while that it would fix time but I don''t have the strength to do something like that. I spent my life''s work trying to save her. I can''t just undo that!


    I have to keep pushing this plan. It can work I can make it work I told him "If you don''t mind me asking why exactly won''t it work. If I''m the reason he invents time travels then he can''t destroy his reason." I''m curious even though I don''t know why my plan is a failure. I can be somewhat confident he is just being paranoid and doesn''t know the reason either.


    He sighed again and said "Your only looking at it from one angle destroying his reason isn''t the only way to break time. What if he does something that affects his birth, what if he does something that affects your birth, what if he did something that would kill his grandfather."


    The grandfather paradox, the whole reason where even here right now me and Adam knew this was a problem and looked into our ancestor way before affecting history but he''s right I don''t know if just some stranger would take the same precautions. He would have to look at all three of us before he did anything he would have to make sure no one gets their hands on it and goes crazy. This is way too much to put on a stranger.


    I give up, there''s nothing I can do, the plan is a failure. 12 wasn''t done yet he said to me "Do you know what the core moment in time is?" This was a bad idea. I''m still in 1''s arm with nowhere to run and if I answer honestly it''s all over for me. I decided to try to lie my way out of it "I do- I think. I used it a lot. I don''t know what the core might be but I have a couple of ideas. Actually it''s quite a lot the harder I think the more options I seem to get. Sorry to have lied to you I don''t know what this core moment in time is." Please Please fall for it this was a perfect lie you saw me struggle, it made me look bad, it had all the ingredients for a good lie. 12 sighed and told 1 to keep looking for the other 3 finally safe at last.


    Me and 1 went up the clock elevator and when we made it up she punched me hard and then planted my face on the glass. She started screaming "Look at it. Look at all those moments, aren''t you supposed to be a genius? I know you can see what the core moment is."

 The sreach

    Is she bluffing there''s no way she knows or she would have told 12 for sure I know one thing I can''t risk letting her know what the core is. I decided to play dumb and say "I told you the problem is there are way too many moments looking at all of them won''t help me at all." She let go and looked like she was bluffing after all. She grabbed my arm and started walking. I don''t think she knows where we are going.


    I followed her all around the city watching her get more and more upset. I decided to wait and see what happens. If she breaks I can find out the conditions if she doesn''t then I''m sure the other 3 will find out something. She walks around the town searching everywhere for them but they''re nowhere to be found.


    She looked at me and said "You know where they are right." I knew she would get tired of looking eventually I tried to hold it in but a little giggle came out. I told her "I might know it all depends if you tell me what I can and cannot say who knows. Maybe their location violates one of your rules I don''t know about."


    She laughed for a bit then punched me just like last time she grabbed me by the arm and said "If you truly know then I''ll just beat the information out of you." She punched me to the ground again. Getting hit in the same place three times with that amount of force was getting to me. She told me "Tell me what I want to know and you don''t get punched again."


    There was no point in staying here. I wanted to get some info out of 1 and keep her under surveillance but my only hope is running. I got up and started running. My body was hurting a ton but the adrenaline only made me run faster. I didn''t look back all that I could think of was escaping but I felt something grab my arm. I felt my arm get jerked back and the rest of my body follows. I was on the ground again and 1 punched me in the stomach. I should have known there not normal the twelve always had some inhumane ability. The problem is what do I do now?


    She punched me again and I screamed in pain. She chuckled a bit and said "You don''t seem like you can take much more. Tell me what I want to know and I won''t hit you again, got it." What now I can''t out run her there, there is no way I can out fight her either there has to be something that can get me out of this.


    Then I felt another sharp pain my stomach it was another punch from 1. The pain was getting to much to bear should I just rat them out. I can''t that would lead us back to square one I can''t let this pain block my judgment. I felt it again another punch she really isn''t going to stop till I spill huh. Maybe I can use a false location just to give myself time to think but where? I cried "There at 4710 wills street." She backed off her last punch. I explained myself "It was where we originally hid before you guys captured us. That''s the only place I can think of."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She grabbed my arm and started to drag me to Adam''s original house. Good, the pain is still strong but this gives me time to think. If we take the bus there''s a good chance I can escape her grasp but at the same time everyone here probably knows and respects 1. Maybe something in the house? Some sort of weapon no matter how strong she is, if I have a knife I have the advantage. I don''t want to get there before I make my escape though I would like to leave as fast as possible. Who knows what she''ll do if she found out I lied.


    Her grip is tight on my arm. I can''t just shake it off even if I could, she''s way faster than me. That leads into two problems. I need a way to out run her and a way off her grip. Well I don''t necessarily need to out run her I can hide instead. I check my internal clock at 6:37 pm. It should be dark soon if I loosen her grip I might be able to get away. The first thing that comes to mind is to force her to grab something with two hands and sprint to the nearest safe spot. The problem lies with how to do that if I even can.


    We got on the bus and I knew I only had 20 minutes to prepare. Maybe I could make the bus crash? That wouldn''t work, not only is that pretty much impossible with 1 on me I could suffer injury. There''s got to be something I could use, something that could make her let go. The only thing I can think of is starting a commotion but how. In theory 1 should be popular but no one seems to care that she''s here at the moment. That was my only way of starting something. Is it really hopeless?


    I see the sun fall that might make things a little easier on me but our bus stop is less than 5 minutes away. I couldn''t think of anything. I went through all the possibilities: bus crashes, commotions fighting back, screaming for help, manipulation. They all lead to dead ends. She has me backed into a corner and her grip on me is too strong for me to shake off.


    In a desperate attempt of my own safety I try to lie my way out the situation. "Hey when we get there I think I should walk in there solo if they see you they might run away or hide." She tightened her grip and said "Under no circumstances will I let go of you." Not only was my last attempt of freedom a failure she also just confirmed that I''m her top priority.


    We got off the bus and my situation looked hopeless. She was going to find out I lied and then what? Beat me, kill me, send me to the void? We walked home and nothing but stress filled my mind. I have no more plans of escape, no clever way to get her off of me this time it was over.


    We opened the door and as expected no one was home. I almost started crying in anticipation of what was going to happen but I need to try something just anything before the pain hits me. I pulled myself together and said "I told you they must have run or hid there no way they were going to see you and just stay her-" She punched me directly in the face and I fell to the ground. I try to explain in some last ditch attempt how they must have ran through the back door but she just kept fighting. Getting punched over and over again she picked me up and yelled at me "Even I know they would have tried to save you I''m not that dumb." There are so many flaws in her logic. If they''re going to try to save me, why wouldn''t they have done it at any other time. I couldn''t explain anything, the punches kept coming and I couldn''t get a word out. She leaned back for one final punch and on impact everything faded to black.