No More

Chapter 90: Clockwork Part 15

Everyone was silent as they stared down at Tangle, Jesse glaring at her as she fidgeted on the spot. "Alright, lets try and calm down." Olivia said, Axel and Petra were holding Jesse back as Raven and Luke stood by a shaken Tangle.

She held up the watch, taken from Jesse earlier, before looking at Tangle. "I think you owe us an explanation-"

"Why do you have that?!" Jesse yelled, cutting her off, Axel using his superior strength to hold him back.

"I didn't know it belonged to you!" She defended, cowering away as every looked at her with accusations and surprise. "They just gave it to me; it doesn't even open!"

Axel glanced at Jesse, stepping in front of him, giving Tangle the benefit of the doubt. "Dude, are you sure this is your stepmother's watch?"

"It is." He nodded at Olivia. "Grab the lid, and spin it six to the left."

"What, why?" The redstone engineer questioned.

"It's how you open it!" Jesse snapped.

"Okay, okay..." Olivia did what he said, trying to calm him down. She grabbed the edges of the lid, surprised that it rotates as she heard six clicks. "Okay, now what?"

"Three to the left." Jesse recalled instantly, never forgetting.

Olivia rotated the lid, watching the five white eyes on the top glow ominously. "Okay, now-?"

"Four left." Jesse interrupted. Olivia nodded as she rotated the lid four times as her fingers gently brushed against the smooth designs.

Nothing happened. "Uh, was something supposed to happen?" Axel asked after a few moments of silence.

"Open it." Jesse instructed.

Olivia hesitated for a second, a dark aura washed over the pocket watch as the white eyes on top glowed ominously. She gently flipped the lid open, tension rising, revealing red stained glass protecting black gears under it.

Jagged hands of a clock, along with pictures of a black moon and a red sun telling morning and afternoon in the center, moved with such grace.

And Jesse heard the gently, calming music that played from the pocket watch; he closed his eyes, just for a second, to remember the blissful blend of various sounds to feel his stepmother's love.

Tangle looked at the pocket watch in surprise. "It never opened before..." She whispered.

Jesse gave Olivia one last instruction. "Send the hands to midnight." Olivia did just that. Everyone soon watched as three balls of light floated out of the pocket watch like bubbles, staying above as various wisps of light connected to them; each one turned into their own color: grey, green, and red.

"It's... beautiful..." Raven commented as Luke nodded, lost in thought from the sight before them.

"There's something under the lid." Olivia stated, looking at the beautiful dark red writing. "My children, how many seconds are in eternity?" Olivia read it out loud. "Do not worry about answering, because I will I will love you for every second of it even though I am now gone... with eternal love, Laurence."

"Is that proof enough?" Jesse asked sarcastically, looking to see that his friends were no longer restraining him, but their eyes were soft.

Olivia didn't say anything, she reached to close the lid, only to yelp in pain as the pocket watch flew out of her hand; the chain connected to it lashed out as it flew, leaving a deep cut on her dark wrist.