Winding Back

5- Matt

The words were out before I could stop them. I cursed myself when I saw her panicked expression. She was on the verge of freaking out, here reaction alone was answer enough, so her next words were deemed unnecessary.

"Y-yes," she choked, her eyes on me.

I nodded slowly, the article coming back to me. It was a true story I read in history class, about a girl.

A girl who was brutally murdered.

Till this day, no one knew who did it. I bought up the article in my mind, sifting through everything I have read.

I have a photographic memory, better than most. I found it easy to remember the exact wording of a document. It was like summoning a photo, but I was told not everyone could do it. It was a newspaper article, written the day after she was killed, to the right, a smiling, but younger picture of Riley stared at me through the memory's.

RILEY JONES
FOUND DEAD BY AUTHORITIES

YESTERDAY, THE 19th AUGUST, 1906, AT 9:26PM, ROBBIE JONES CALLED AUTHORITIES AFTER FINDING HIS DAUGHTER DEAD IN THE KITCHEN.

"SHE WAS DEATHLY PALE, WHEN WE FOUND HER, BRUISES COVERED EVERY INCH OF HER SKIN, THERE WERE SCARS ON HER WRISTS, AND A KITCHEN KNIFE WAS BURIED IN HER CHEST," SAYS OFFICER LUGDER, CHIEF OF THE WESTGATE POLICE. WE HAVE NO CLUE WHO THE CULPRIT IS, BUT ARE INVESTIGATING THE CASE. WE CANNOT YET RULE OUT SUICIDE.

"SHE WAS MY ONLY DAUGHTER," ROBBIE JONES, THE FATHER SOBS. HE WAS GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE DEATH, AND WE HAVE EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO HIM VOWING TO KILL WHOEVER KILLED HIS DAUGHTER, BUT POLICE ARE NOT RULING HIM OUT AS A SUSPECT.

"SHE WAS HARDLY EVER SEEN," SAYS OFFICER LUDGER. "WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HER CIRCUMSTANCES WERE LIKE. SHE ALMOST NEVER CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE. WE STRONGLY SUSPECT SUICIDE, BUT ARE LAUNCHING A FULL INVESTIGATION. WE WILL FIND THE CULPRIT."

THE POLICE ARE SURE THEY WILL FIND THE OFFENDER, BUT WILL WE EVER, TRULY UNCOVER THE MYSTERY OF RILEY JONES?

POLICE URGE ANYONE WITH ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE VICTIM, TO SPEAK UP, AND TO REPORT ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY TO AUTHORITIES .

~WESTGATE TIMES NEWS~

I compared the girl standing in front of me, with the one in the news article photo. She, was younger. She looked about nine. It must of been taken at least 7 years ago, what really shocked me was her smile. In the photograph, Riley looked healthy. Her skin was clear, her eyes shining, she looked happy.

What changed? What caused this happy, healthy kid to turn into the tragedy in front of me. What was the cause of the bags under her eyes. What was the reason for her small, painfully skinny frame.

But most importantly, who killed her. The girl in front of me was going to die. I looked at her, my heart plummeting. She was staring at me, obviously curious to my sudden mental absence.

She doesn't deserve to die. I gasped. Maybe that's why I was here. Maybe I was sent her to prevent this innocent girl from suffering such a grim fate. I had to stop the murder, but how?

I was nothing special. I wasn't brave, or smart. I wasn't popular, I was a nobody. I most definitely wasn't fit to save her.

But I had to, I pushed those doubts from my mind, they would only stop me trying, and I had to try. I couldn't leave her like this. I had to take her back with me.

She was still looking at me curiously, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, she stood up straighter.

"Who are you?" She said without a stutter.

"Matt Wilber," I answered back, desperately trying to think of a plan to get us back to the present

"Why are you here?" Her voice was cool and calculating. She was so brave.

I didn't answer immediately, walking slowly towards the arm chair. She perched on the edge of the couch, like a bird ready to flee at any moment.

"You probably won't believe me," I said, turning to face her.

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Hey guys,

So I wrote this story when I was younger, but never really continued it. If this gets actual reads and votes then I will, but otherwise I don't really see the point.

Sorry guys,
-Saphire