“Thea is dead.”

“What?” the throat produced a low voice.

“Sorry... I should have waited until tomorrow. Does your dorm have a curfew?” Jonathan asked, his voice trembling.

“Please, just tell me what happened!” I could feel the tremble in her voice and the pound in the left chest.

I heard a static sigh.

“I want to explain it to you in person. I am on my way.” Jonathan’s voice grew softer.

“Wait, Jonathan, you have to tell me now—” My perception abruptly cut off—everything turned dead and silent. It took me a few moments to realize that I had reached the end of the day, and my powers ccould not see the next day.

I snapped my attention back to the present, my focus shifting from the future. The room before me appeared blurred, its once pink couches now rendered in shades of gray. I scrambled for my phone on the desk. I unlocked it and opened the reminder app, typing a sentence hastily.

jonathan call ask thea death

I didn’t believe it. My mind hadn’t fully processed the information. It felt fake.

I found myself immersed in a world of emptiness, waiting for my power to rebuild my future. I waited and waited—and more waiting until I couldn’t ignore what my body felt.

My hands and legs trembled. My chest rose and fell, the air passed through my throat, nose, and mouth. Something throbbed painfully on my left chest, repeatedly, intensifying the ache. Dizziness washed over me.

My throat constricted, and my legs gave way, causing me to collapse. Pain surged through my knees, meeting a hard, cold and smooth surface. Tears streamed down my face, chilling my cheeks. My left hand trembled as it clutched my phone, while the other hand covered my mouth, silencing its sobs. My body continued to convulse, even as it curled up, seeking warmth.

It couldn’t be real. It had to be one of Thea’s elaborate pranks, and Jonathan got caught up in her antics again. There was no way this was happening. Everything would be fine, just like it always was. We would go to school, hand in our homework, Thea would rant about Christian classes again, and we would resume watching our series.

When the darkness receded, I pushed the time I could perceive to its limit.

Always pacing. Non-stop checking the time. Constant call on both Thea and Jonathan. Regularly reading from a Bible verse app. Madly surfing the web. Fasting and praying nonstop. Sobbing and crying while looking at pictures on the phone. Hovering a finger over the Call Hero app. Hand on a door handle. Praying and sobbing on the bed, waiting for the call.

I felt a hand react, grabbing the phone, when I heard the familiar ringing tone.

“You’re going to tell me right now that Thea isn’t dead before I lose my mind!” I heard a husky voice scream.

“I’m still trembling and horrified, realizing that I allowed Thea to die while I remained locked in my room. I kept waiting for your call, because neither you nor Thea answered mine. I was stupid, not realizing I could have visited instead.” The body kept trembling as it curled on the cold floor.

“So please, Jonathan, tell me how Thea died,” the voice pleaded hoarsely, painful as it scratched the dry throat. “I just want to know the cause before I lose the last shreds of my sanity.”

“Janette... I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I failed to protect Thea,” Jonathan said, his voice weak and suppressed. “I’ll explain everything I can, but it might take some time over the phone. Please wait for me. I’m on my way.”

The phone beeped.

“No, no, no, no, Jonathan!”

I felt the pain surge through the thumb’s constant press on the call button until the darkness enveloped me. I brought my perception back to the present.

“Jonathan, you idiot!” I yelled, my thumbs tapping the keys so fast that the pressing sound effect was masked by a loud tapping noise. The keys became a blur, unreadable, but I continued to tap with years of experience using a phone.

jonathan call ask thea death
explain my power
ask thea death 2 min

I found myself back in a world of emptiness, consumed by waiting. Endless waiting. Waiting for that answer. Hoping it was all just a prank or a joke.

I clutched my phone and my fingers felt its smooth, firm plastic casing.

Why was Thea dying? When did Thea die? What caused her death that Jonathan blamed himself for? Was it truly his fault? I thought you were the one who would bring her happiness. Yet you failed to protect her.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

I shook my head from side to side before taking a deep breath. The shaking was still there, the strong heartbeats and heavy breathing.

The darkness receded, and I saw the blurry hands clutching the phone. I detached from the current time and viewed my future.

Always pacing. Non-stop checking the time. Constant call on both Thea and Jonathan. Reading from a Bible verse app. The thumb stopped after reading a verse before bookmarking it. Praying on the bed. Took a deep breath. Set alarms on the phone. Picked up a book and walked to the couch. Started watching the first episode of a drama series.

I watched episode after episode, confused.

The alarm went off, and a hand grabbed the phone. The alarm stopped and soon the TV turned off. Eyes landed on the screen. I saw 12:53 pm.

“Jane, if you can hear me, please listen carefully. Once you return to your time, put down the phone and try to calm yourself. We all want Thea to live—both you and the other version of you in the future.”

The vocal cord stopped as she took a deep breath.

“We are doing it wrong. I just calculated how much time I lost earlier and it’s around 30 minutes long. The future me couldn’t handle the stress and broke down, making our future versions erratic. Those unpredictable behavious will cost us time until we cannot save Thea anymore.”

I felt her hands clenching, feeling the cloth of the pajamas.

“Try to be as stationary as possible, watch a drama series, read a book, anything to stay still. We only need the two minutes from Jonathan’s phone call. That’s the only change we’ll make. ”

The room went black as the eyelids closed.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. Is it fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, or jealousy? We’ve never been able to fully grasp emotions, but one thing is certain. I want to save Thea.”

I felt tears streaming down her cheeks, wetting and chilling. “So I stayed in my room and let my Thea die so you can save yours.”

I felt a sniffle.

“Do us a favor and try to calm down, because we panic when you panic. We are Janette Halls too. It won’t be easy. The situation and the revelation still confused me, but I think I am in a better headspace now. Strive to achieve that.”

The phone rang, and she answered it immediately. “I know Thea is dead, and I want to save her,” came a shaky but firm voice.

“Janette? How—”

“I Awakened. I can see and hear everything I would have in a day. That is why I need you to tell me everything right now before midnight, so that the past me can save Thea.”

“I...”

An alarm interrupted the conversation.

“Please, Jonathan. We have a minute left.”

“I can’t. I made a vow.”

“What do you mean, you can’t? Then how am I supposed to save Thea?” I felt her heart beating faster.

...

“Jonathan!?”

“Ask the other me about the meeting.”

“Meeting? What do you—” Everything went black. I brought my perception back to the present.

My fingers began hitting the keys. I didn’t understand why revealed the meeting, but not Thea’s death. What made his vow so important that he couldn’t disclose how Thea died? Thea was supposed to be his most cherished treasure. HE was supposed to his best to save his own girlfriend!?

I paused. I stared at the screen before tapping the Undo key. My vision went blank for a moment.

Do us a favor and try to calm down, because we panic when you panic. We are Janette Halls too.

I pushed my perception until I reached a scene in my future. I felt the thumbs stopping after I read the verse, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” before it tapped the bookmark. My awareness returned to the present. I checked the time, and it was 8:44 am. An hour had already passed.

I got up from the floor and put my phone on the table. Emptiness immersed me and I embraced it. Despite being blinded, I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. I had always seen it on TV and read about it in books. Breathing helps to calm the mind. How exactly? I didn’t know, I never noticed the difference. But I kept repeating the exercise longer, even though I could already hear my breathing, a shaky breathing.

I opened my eyes and approached my bed, where I knelt down. With elbows resting on the bed, I brought my hands together and closed my eyes. I prayed, “I don’t understand what’s happening. This—it felt like a cruel joke. But I beg you, please keep my dearest friend safe.”

I set multiple alarms. 11:30 am, 6:00 pm, 11:57 pm, 11:58 pm, and 11:59 pm. I gathered my leftover cereal, a mug, a carton of milk, and some energy drinks. Carrying them to the couch, I settled in and started watching the first episode of a random drama series from my wishlist. Once everything was set up, I reached for my phone, glanced at the time, and opened my reminder app, my thumbs tapping the keys.

jonathan call ask thea death
explain my power
ask thea death 2 min
Ask about the meeting and its connection to Thea’s death.

I put my phone down in front of me, fixed my head forward, and watched the darkness. I stayed as still as I could. My body was still shaking and my heart was still pounding. I closed my eyes and started breathing again until I heard a muffled sound coming from the speaker.

I checked the future.

As expected, I watched episode after episode. Minimal movement except for eating, drinking and going to the bathroom. I heard the third alarm, and the hand moved to turn off the TV and waited. The fourth alarm went off. After a few seconds, I heard the anticipated ring.

“I know Thea is dead, and I want to save her. But you will have to explain the meeting and its connection to her death,” I heard a firm voice.

“Janette? How—”

“I am an Awakened. I can see and hear everything I would have in a day. That is why I need you to tell me everything right now, before midnight. Other you told me to ask you about the meeting.”

“... Okay, how do I know it’s you, Janette?”

I heard the fifth alarm.

“We ate cereal, watched a drama series last night and...”

“That’s easy information to get. I can’t just trust you.”

“Then how can I convince you?”

“Tell me something only we know.”

“What about only you know?”

“… I support both liberation and order—”

—

 

“... Okay, how do I know it’s you, Janette?”

I heard the fifth alarm.

“Other you told me that you support both liberation and order.”

...

“That’s not enough, but I trust you. If you can see the future, then maybe you can keep Thea alive. Are you willing to attend the meeting?”

“What kind of?”

“I can’t tell, I made a vow.”

“I’ll go.”

“Prepare yourself for the meeting, it will take time to explain everything. Do you have time until 6 pm—”

 

I went back to the present and my eyes saw a blurry TV while my ears picked up echoing dialogues. My eyes looked at the wristwatch, only 10 minutes had passed. I have plenty of time to spare.

My hands lifted my phone and tapped at the keys again. I still felt shaken, but I was determined to save my friend.