A Second Chance ✔

Six

"Are you ready, Claire?" Vanessa asked.

"Wait. I don't understand. What do you mean by history-"

"Don't think about anything right now. You have to figure out a way to save Jake without being seen by anyone and without changing the location and setting of that day. You just have to change one tiny thing from that day and you'll get Jake."

"Okay," I said, trying to suppress my excitement at the fact that there was a chance where I could get to see Jake again.

"So, are you ready?"

"I think so," I said unsurely.

"Good luck," she said, smiling as she snapped her fingers together and then all I saw was darkness.

It felt like forever had passed until I felt something, anything.

My hands clutched at something soft. It felt like grass and soil beneath it. I instantly opened my eyes but closed it again as blinding white light entered my eyes. I squinted and tried to adjust to the brightness. The first thing I saw were leaves on a tree. It somewhat protected me from the glare of the sun.

I pushed myself to sit up and I realised I was in the woods. Trees were all around me and all I could see was greenery and soil.

I fished for my phone in my pockets and checked the time. It was almost three in the afternoon and to my great joy and astonishment, it was doom's day. 12 June. The day it all happened. It even showed the year it all went down.

I can't believe I was finally back to that time. It really was unbelievable.

I was finally getting what I wanted after a long time. I was determined to save Jake.

I stood up and looked around. This place seemed a little familiar. I walked further away from the treacherous looking woods and to what I hoped would be a road or even a house.

I was walking for a good ten to fifteen minutes when the surroundings became more and more familiar.

No way.

I ran the rest of the way and soon I found myself looking at the familiar house. The one which appeared in most of my nightmares. Jesse's house.

Was I really back to that time?

I heard a car approaching so I hid behind a tall tree to see who it was.

The car stopped in the driveway and the door slammed open. There he was, the demon Jesse. He looked a bit drunk as he stumbled out of the car and with uneven steps, rounded to the backseat of his car.

He fiddled with the door before opening it. He looked as if he was gathering something and when he popped his head out, I suddenly remembered.

It was me. The young me. The three years ago Claire.

He had her thrown over his shoulder and she looked passed out.

I remembered that day. I found it a little weird when a random girl claiming to be in one of my classes gave me a soft drink. She told me that she wanted to be my friend so it was kind of a toast to our new friendship. I was hesitant but drank it nonetheless and then I only remembered feeling dizzy in the parking lot after which I most probably passed out.

Damn. Jesse had it all planned. He was going to kidnap me that day.

I heard a loud thump and cringed when I saw that he dropped me near the stairs with he himself sprawled next to me.

How drunk was he?

He sat up and shook his head.

It was five minutes later that he finally opened his door and dragged an unconscious me in by one of my legs.

That bastard.

I was so angry at him. If he hadn't done this, then Jake would've been alive.

I balled up my fists. I wanted to barge in and smash his face into his ass but I had to control that burning urge.

You should not be seen by anyone you knew at that time.

I couldn't do anything and just wait impatiently for any type of action.

The house was silent but I knew he was taping me to a chair with me possibly sparsely clothed by now.

I wanted to stop him.

I wanted to know what exactly he was doing to me while I was still passed out. Did he take advantage of me?

Knowing Jesse, I knew there was a high chance he did.

After an hour, he finally showed up, smoking a cigarette. I was sitting down near the tree, well hidden behind the bushes but still on alert for any sort of movement.

I checked my phone and it said it was 7:39 pm. I remembered waking up an hour or two before midnight that day.

He discarded the used cigarette into a pot and looked as if he was going somewhere.

He had his car keys in his hands and he was off to somewhere in no time.

I had to do something. Maybe this was the chance to change that one thing that killed Jake.

I waited for fifteen minutes after Jesse left and walked cautiously towards the house.

Often times, Jesse would go off somewhere without locking his door because he thought that as he lived far away from town with neighbours far away too, there was no need to lock the door.

I quickly slipped inside. The house was silent and I knew I hadn't woken up yet.

I had to think fast. Jesse had a gun that night. If I take his gun away, he couldn't shoot Jake or Brian.

I padded upstairs to his room and quietly opened the door. There I was, tied to the chair, still passed out. At least, I had my undergarment on.

There was something strange seeing your younger self in front of your own eyes. It was so much different from seeing in a mirror.

Maybe I could take myself away from this house.

And then the seventeen year old Claire stirred in her sleep.

No, what if she woke up? I can't show myself to a seventeen year old me either.

So I guess the only thing I could change here was to take away Jesse's gun. That way he wouldn't be able to shoot anyone.

I started searching Jesse's room. The gun had to be here somewhere. I was sure he wouldn't keep the gun anywhere outside his room.

I racked through his closet and drawers. It took a good ten minutes until I finally found it.

The cold metal gun was placed in the bottommost drawer of his nightstand and under a lot of clothes.

I grabbed it with shaky fingers. It was my first time holding a gun. It was heavy and with it in my hands I oddly felt as if a huge burden was lifted off of my shoulders. Yes. This was the thing that was supposed to be changed in the past. Such a small thing.

"Jake," I heard a voice behind me mumble and I froze, the gun threatening to drop from my hands.

Left it on a bit of a cliffhanger because it was exceeding 1.2K words, and because I like it better this way.

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