Timeless Ties || Volturi Kings

12. When the World Turns

When the world turns
And someone reaches the depths
Of another being
There's a loose star

— Fábio Jr. (adapted translation from Quando Gira o Mundo)

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When Alessia arrived at home, she found a package placed just outside her door. It was strange because she lived in an apartment and often relied on her neighbors for receiving online purchases. Normally, her neighbors would hold onto the items until she approached them, as they had arranged before. Adding to the confusion, Alessia hadn't made any recent purchases in the past few weeks.

Because of this, a twinge of wariness crept into Alessia's mind. She really didn't want to live out that episode from Criminal Minds where the box turned out to be a bomb. And then, she admonished herself for succumbing to such paranoia. After all, Alessia resided in Brazil, not the United States, and her country wasn't known for a high number of serial killers.

Alessia opened her door and picked the package up, noticing that it almost didn't weigh anything, positioning it against her sofa and getting her laptop out of her backpack before checking the box. She really didn't want to break her laptop. Getting back to the package, Alessia analyzed it for a moment before taking a pair of scissors and cutting it open.

A gift packaging sat before her, a piece of paper resting on top of it. She opted to investigate the paper first, anticipating it to be an invoice for a purchase she had made but forgotten. (She hoped her father hadn't bought anything on the internet and accidentally chose her address instead of his own. It had already happened once that semester and she didn't want a repetition).

However, the paper did not resemble an invoice; rather, it turned out to be a note meticulously handwritten in her own calligraphy. This unexpected turn left her utterly bewildered.

"Don't panic," the note read, "the matter of the werewolves has been dealt with."

Ah, wow. What a great advice. "Don't panic"? Of course she was going to panic! How could she not when there was a note scripted in her very own hand, bearing her signature — a note she had no recollection of penning!

What did the note even mean ? Had the werewolves been tamed, eliminated, or had they simply faded away after all this time? Did they still exist but were somehow confined, unable to reach her? The note's cryptic brevity irritated her — why leave such a brief and enigmatic message without any elaboration? Was she even certain that she was the one who wrote it?

Minutes slipped away as Alessia delved into deep contemplation. Eventually, she arrived at a conclusion she wanted to embrace: that the note was an example of her newfound time-traveling ability, not the handiwork of some deranged stalker. Because the signature in the note was the one she had created when she was 15. She had never actually used it, as when she turned 18 and needed to sign a document for the first time, she realized it was too much work and simply resorted to writing her full name.

Her focus then shifted to the mechanics of her newfound gift. How had she managed to leave this note for herself? She was just coming to terms with the situation — which was surreal to say the least — and she didn't know how to use her powers to the extent of leaving a note to herself. Ugh, Alessia wished her powers had come with usage instructions.

Taking in slow, deep breaths, she managed to regain some composure before redirecting her gaze to the box. Carefully, she removed the wrapping paper, revealing a red sweater nestled inside. The garment bore an uncanny resemblance to the one she had lost. It hailed from the same brand as her previous sweater, not that this was difficult given Alessia's penchant for shopping at department stores where things were cheaper. Nevertheless, a small but significant detail caught her attention — a styled V shape knitted in the area of the chest. She supposed that maybe they didn't make the exact same sweater anymore and this was the new style.