The Time Turner Society { Undergoing Edits! }

Chapter 6:

I stare at the door.

Un-moving, unblinking, just staring.

I had been staring at that door for almost three days straight now, waiting for Net to come back. He left tomorrow. The first day I combed the entire Structure - at least, the parts I had admittance to - but there was no sign of Net, and no one admitted to seeing him. It took me until that night, when I arrived home frustrated and defeated, to realize that being frustrated was exactly my problem.

Ever since I'd gotten here, I'd treated Net like the enemy. I took him trying to protect me as him lying to me, and I started not to trust him. I lost sight of who he was - Net, my Net, my big brother and my best friend, the most important person in my life besides Blayke.

But by then, it was too late for me, a flight risk, to be out of my unit. So I came back here, and I've been watching this damn door ever since. And Net leaves tomorrow morning. If he doesn't come back before then, I don't know what I'll do.

Just as I think it, the door starts to open. I jump up, and I'm on him before he can even register I'm there. I hug him almost as tight as he does when he gives me his bear hugs - or at least when he used to.

"Evaline," he says quietly.

"I'm sorry," I say, refusing to let go. "I've already lost Blayke, Net. I can't lose you, too. And I can't go at this alone," I don't pull away because I'm not sure I can stand to see his face if he says no.

"You're really doing this? Going against everything, those you thought you could trust, and those who you knew you couldn't?" he gently removes my arms from around him, setting me back on the ground.

"Yes," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. Because the truth is, I'm only doing this if he agrees to help me. I may like to think I can do it all myself, but in this instance, I can't.

Net looks at me for a long moment. Then he sighs, and shakes his head.

"I don't know what it is about you, Evaline, but you could probably make me follow you through hell and back." I smile brightly, hugging him again. This time he hugs me back - one of his big, crushing bear hugs. When he lets me go, I pick up Blayke's note off the counter.

"I think Blayke wants us to do this," I say, eying the familiar handwriting one more time before I pass the message on to Net. He shakes his head.

"I don't want to read it. I haven't been able to figure out a damn thing from any of his notes since we got here, and I'm sure as hell not going to try now."

Run. A. Trust.

"Do you still have them?"

"Of course," Net nods towards his room, starting ahead of me. He digs through his top drawer, moving aside thick packets and Manila envelopes.

"Sure they're not under the bed?" I say. Net smiles hugely. It's the first time I've seen him smile in a while.

"Right here," he pulls out a smaller Manila envelope, handing it to me. I head out to the coffee table, moving aside his Calling papers. I dump the little folded papers out and bend them back, so they stay open.

"When did you get the first one?"

"The night he left." I nod, reaching for the one that looked like it might be the first.

Watch her.

"And the next?" I ask, my voice breaking. I clear my throat, setting the paper down with shaking hands.

"The day I gave you the box. It says 'it's starting'," I set that one beside the watch her one.

"What was starting?" I look up at him. Net holds a finger to his lips, shaking his head. I don't need to know.