10

I remained sobbing for a long while. I could not process the reality. I should have known best and stayed away. I shouldn't have asked for an explanation.

Was Grace really gone? It felt impossible. The black in her eyes were absent. She laid motionless and cold in my arms. After a while, I sniffed, wiped my nose with the back of my hand and turned to look at Blakee who was in her clothes again.

"You!" I stood to my feet, "this is all your fault. Why would you…" I had no right to accusation.

"Grace should still be here with me now. If I'd known, I'd have stayed home, this is terrible for me." I wailed, holding Blakee by her sleeves.

"You left without warning, what were we supposed to do?" Blakee was trying as well but it was glaring that she wasn't as affected as I was with the matter.

"I left because…" I trailed off, my memory returning. "I left because of Luke." I said, ridding myself of her sleeves.

"I left because of Luke!" I smiled at her, I grabbed her into an unwanted hug and kissed her forehead. "Thank you so much!"

"What is going on?" She muttered in confusion.

I scurried out of her presence and out of the club, pulling my phone out of my pocket.

"Luke, are you home?" I rushed to speak, waving my hands to stop a taxi. The driver pulled over. "Great, I'm on my way, hold on a sec…" I put the phone on hold and turned to the driver to tell him my directions.

I hopped into the car and zoomed off.

"Back to you, I'm on my way to your house. I need you to pay for my cab, sorry that it's impromptu… don't worry, I'll explain everything when I get there, I promise." I sighed. He deserved an explanation but it wouldn't be over the phone.

I hung up and sat patiently while the driver rode me to my destination.

*

"Okay what's happening?" Luke called as soon as he opened the door for my sake. "Did someone see you being invisible?"

"Pay, the cab guy is waiting." I told him instead, running further into the house. He rummaged through his pocket for what I guessed was his wallet.

"Where are you going?" He asked, I managed to hear him tell the driver to keep the change before disappearing through the curtain of beads.

"Ariyah, you promised you would explain!" He shouted, following after me.

"And I certainly will." I told him, going down the hole that led to his lab.

It was not as surprising as the first time. I was glad to be there again.

Soon enough, Luke was in the room too. I scanned through the table and it wasn't long before my eyes landed on the time run.

"What are you doing?!" Luke panicked after I picked it up. "Drop that, it could be dangerous."

"Okay listen, I lost my girlfriend at a club tonight. She can't die like that please Luke. I would do anything. I need her to be here, she's the only one that gets me." I panted, hoping he would succumb because whether or not he did, I was going to use it either way.

"You're lesbian?" He drew his eyebrows in askance.

"Busexual. But that doesn't even matter."

"But the time run isn't something you can just use everytime you make a mistake. It has to be…" he tried to discourage me.

"This is a deadly mistake. What could be worse than losing my love, you'd understand if you once loved someone." I had begun to sob. "Please." His eyes saddened at that and he nodded affirmaticvely.

"But I just beat my high score, dang it. When you go back, tell me, I beat Randy Wither on Fogs and Lands, okay?" He teased, giving me a wink.

"You go fix your girlfriend, girlfriend." He nodded. I threw myself at him, hugging him tight.

"I'll repay you for this." I sincerely admitted. I pulled away and fiddled with the small clock in my hands, "how does this work?"

"It's like any old clock. All you have got to do, is change the time to twelve." He explained.

"What if I try a different time?" My curiosity got the best of me.

"That doesn't work, it never works. I've tried it so many times." He shook his head.

"Okay." I nodded. The time was set at the current time. I used the winding button and moved the hands backwards until all three pointers were directly on twelve.

I felt everywhere in the room spin. "Don't worry you'll be fine." Luke's assuring voice called from behind me. He was fading and his voice was in echoes.

I shrieked in horror and my head began to slam against invisible metals. The pounding was deliberate and painful.

"What is happening?!" I screamed in agony.

"You will be fine." I heard Luke call one more time before it was all darkness again.

*

I rubbed my forehead hard, trying to dismiss the inconvenient pain I felt. It was hard to get over.

I opened my eyes slowly. "Are you okay?" Luke called somewhere around me. Didn't it work?

I opened my eyes to the school environment.

"It worked!" I threw my arms around Luke. "Oh my God, it worked!" I jogged around him, unable to believe my eyes.

"I guess? What worked?" He blinked multiple times.

I remembered instantly what I needed. "Yes, I need that bottle of almadate from you. Why did you lie and tell me it was going to last for twelve hours?"

"Woah, easy there warrior, what's going on?" Luke widened his eyes. "How did you know that, and why do you want my almadate oil?"

"Okay here's this. I was at your house today after I got home and my mom had found out I was bisexual from my diary."  I began knowing I had to speak in full truth if I wanted his compliance with this.

"What? You are bisexual?" He shook his head, evidently trying to take all the information in at once.

"I am. We've been through this already…" I started, getting cut off by him.

"And what do you mean you were at my house today… wait, did you use my time run?" He lifted one eyebrow.

"Yep." I accepted.

"I would never let anyone use my time run, what's going on?" He stood amazed.

"I'll tell you everything, come on." I pulled his hand and together we made it to the computer room.

*

I'd received his almadate oil bottle after explaining every single detail to him. I was heading to find Grace just so I knew she was back there with me.

My joy knew no bound after I spotted her coming out of class eith a smile on her face.

"Grace!" I yelled as if it was the first time I would see her. I hugged her so tight, she could have died a second time.

I began to sob as the torturous memory of her wicked death played in my head.

How would I have coped if I'd lost her permanently.

"What's going on Ariyah?" She raised a question, trying to push me away from the hug.

"Why are you trying…"

"I'm…" I opened my mouth to say. I suddenly remembered the story about Blakee.

"Come with me." I commanded, gently yanking her hand and getting her to follow after me.

"Where are we going?" She asked aloud.

"To the ladies' bathroom." I said and took her with me.

Once we were in the bathroom, I pinned her against a wall and took deep breaths in and out. "Okay, here is this. I need you to shut up for the next ten minutes, could you do that for me?" I asked with hopeful eyes.

She sensed trouble and so nodded in compliance. "Good." I said, letting go of her.

"I know about Blakee." I began. I pressed an index finger against her lips, "remember, no talking."

"Don't ask me how I found out. I know you two have some sort of relationship going on and all I need you to tell me is why? Why did you do it?" I sighed after picking the fear in her eyes. I cupped her cheeks and laid a gentle kiss on her lips so she stayed calm.

"Why?" I pulled away. "Please don't lie, I can't lose you again."

"Again?" She knitted her brows in confusion.

"I already lost you to Blakee, that's a loss I know." I winked.

"I liked us a lot, you and I, Ariyah. I don't know how you figured out about blakee but we've been friends even before I knew you." She began.

"I get that you love me and all but I can't help but feel insecure. You are bisexual, I'm a lesbian. When I'm with you, I get insecure about both genders. I'm on the look out for girls with googling eyes trying to devour you. On the other hand, I'm also careful about lurking boys." She explained.

"Like this morning with Luke. It caused my feelings to depreciate gradually thinking so much about these things." She sighed.

"Wow. But you didn't have to. I would never let you go." I felt hurt by her statement. I thought we were one, why would she think that way?

"I love who I love. If I'm in love with you, then fuck everyone else, you're my only focus." I cupped her cheeks and leaned my forehead against hers.

"It's okay." I pulled away. "I understand."

"I'm really sorry." She paced around me. "I thought I'd keep it away from you for long but hey, I'm glad you got to know. I was starting to feel guilty about it." She smiled sheepishly.

"I wish you both the best in your healthy relationship." It took a lot of strength to say that. I was shattered and needed the space to ball my eyes out.

"Thank you Ariyah, I love you, really." She spread her arms for a hug that I gladly received.

It was wrong of her to be insecure in that way but who was I to speak.

All that mattered was, she was alive again…

*

I got home and before going into the house, I gulped a bit of the almadate oil. I put the remnant into my bag and walked into the house, clearing my throat.

Like expected, my mum was holding my diary in her hands.

"Ariyah?" Her tearful eyes were there again. "Why does this diary say you are bisexual?"

"That?" I chuckled dramatically. "Look at me mum, have you ever noticed such things with me? That's just a book I came up with. I really do have plans on being a writer." I lied confidently.

I watched her facial muscles relax and peace reigned on her face.

"Why would you scare me like that?" She sighed in relief.

I retrieved the diary from her and began to make my way upstairs. "You aren't supposed to snoop on me mum, I'm seventeen for the sake of God!" I grunted, going up the stairs angrily.

"I'm sorry!" She yelled behind me.

I still had time on my side before the almadate ran out.

I closed my bedroom door and sighed in relief. That had to be the best do over. Now, to sit and think of Grace's betrayal.

I closed my eyes tight and buried my face in my pillow. It was gone, all gone. My happiness was no longer with me.

Even in my tearful state, I thought only about Luke and his help. He was responsible for everything that made me happy.

The thought of losing Grace was eerie than the thought of finding out about her betrayal. Death like that was not to be deserved.

Now that I had no one special to call, I decided to talk to him instead.

I picked my phone up from beside me and dialed his phone number, patiently waiting for him to pick up.