Time Jumper

Chapter Six

I was rubbing my neck the enitre way home. Tancred had switched from calling me Katie to Kitten, why had he done that? Did he know how many cats I had? Was he a stalker that watched my every move? Caustiously, I looked out the windows of the car to make sure he wasn't riding a bike riding behind them or anywhere near them. No, he wasn't anywhere around. 

"Something bothering you, Honey?" my mom asked from the drivers seat looking in the rearview mirror at me. 

"No, Mama, everything's okay. I'm just a bit skiddish is all," I said to her. My southern accent always managed to peek it's way through when I was talking to family or someone really close. 

I started to worry my thumb over the flower necklace that Nina gave me. she gave it to me when she came to visit from Hawwii, it made it smile just thinking about it. Keeping it near my heart always made me feel loved. 

Then a thought accorded to me, "Mama, remember when you said that you wanted me to start taking self defense classes?" 

Mama nodded slowly glancing at me in the mirror, stopping at the stop sign, "Yes, I do remember, why do ask?" 

"I actually do wanna start taking them. There's this guy that kinda creeps me out, and I don't feel safe, so.."

"Alright, let's go sign you up for that now." 

A shadow passed by my window and I jerked to look and see who it was. No one. It was going to be a relief once I started to learn out to defend myself.. I would feel a whole lot safer. 

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We pulled into the building and I saw Tancred limping out of the flower shop, blood was pouring down his leg. Before I even realized what I was doing I leapt from my seat and ran over to him, "Dear god, what did you do!" I shouted and grabbed him by the waist to support him. 

"It's just a cut, Kitten, nothing major," he winced, "it'll heal in no time t'all." 

Just looking at it made me dizzy, "Come on, lets get you to the back of the car," I looke over my shoulder, "Mama pop the hatch!" I heard a few beeps and the creeping sounds of the hatchback opening up. 

"I told you," he said as I forced him towards my car, "I'm fine!" 

"That's what Alexander said when he kept poisoning himself with mercery cause he thought he was making himself imortal." 

"Smart ass." 

"You bet I am," I said setting him down on the car. I grabbed a few things and put a towel under his leg. "I'm gonna have to cut your pant leg off, I don't think you wanna be seen in the nude in public."

"Let them see what I looked like on my birthday, I don't mind," he laughed.  

Rolling my eyes I got the scissors out of the first ait kit and started to cut away at the jeans. "How did you do this anyway? Did a flower decide it didn't like you and cut your leg wide open?" 

"No, I got in a fight." 

"With who?"

"Someone who means you harm," he said looking at me leaning agianst the car.

My heart jumped into my throat and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. Someone meaning to hurt me? Did he mean the shadow? I cleared my throat and finished up cutting the pant leg off. Stomach acid managed to work it's way up into my throat and I forced it back down coughing, "Okay, you need to go get this stiched together." 

Tancred lifted his head and looked at me , "Plese tell me you're joking, Kitten?" 

"No, I'm fully serious, this cut is bad." 

All color drained from his face, "No hospitals. I'll just let it scar." 

"Are you insane? If you try to let this heal on it's own it'll take weeks- no months to heal! The slightest movement could open your wound. Hell, it's already open and gushing like there's no tomorrow!" 

"Relax, Kitten," everything will be fine. 

"Katheen, is everything okay?" my mom asked from teh driver's seat. 

"Yeah, Mama, I've got everything under control." 

I hope.

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He watched carefully from afar, she was tending to Tancred's wound. What the hell was he thinking prancing in there like that and fighiting in front a civilian! It sickened him that he would change the timeline so much, at least he himself had the nerve to stay in place and keep to what he would have done if nothing happened. There was nothing he could change though, he had seen what would happen, he had lived it, and he had come back just to see her again. 

The truth was that he had come back to only watch her from afar, but to watch her with this douche bag. It just made him wanna through up. Small clips of what happened in the future popped in his head sometimes. Her body lying limp in his arms. Him roaring in grief. Him obviously being Tancred. Why did it have to be him? Wasn't he good enough for her? 

He took a step back further from them so he wouldn't be noticed by the two, actually by anyone, that he was watching him. Forcing himself to look away from the couple, he got a flash back from what happened before he came to the future. There was fire everwhere, he was shouting for Katheen needing to know if she was alright. Burns covered his body and stung as ash fell on to his wounds. 

That's where that particular memeory ended. It always ended with the pain of his burns. Running his hands up and down his arms he shivered in the eighty degree heat. Now, whenever he looked at a fire - even a small candle flame - he felt that over powering fear that Kathleen was somewhere... 

"Long time no see." Janice. Ugh that syndic always managed to get his blood boiling. She was an agent for the Time Police. This was gonna be really fun having to deal with this kill joy. 

"What do you want, Janice?" 

"I want to know why you're here! This is the past and you're from the future! You know what'll happen if anymore people come, the entire time line will be comprimised and my work will be for naught, Daniel!" 

"It is for naught you little manipulative bitch! It's gonna be changed no matter what cause Zeno and Tancred have interfered! At least I have the curticy to watch from a far." 

Janice's huge ears managed to turn a bright pink, at least she knew when she needed to shut up. Some of the time.