Scars Of Time

A Prayer And A Whisper

Present Day

The team exited the Lifeboat, covered in soot and smoke. Agent Christopher asked, "What happened?"

"Well," Lucy began. "I'm not exactly sure..."

Connor Mason had come around the corner, holding a book and a beaming smile plastered on his face. "There you are!"

Everyone turned to see him as he approached. "I think you might be ready to read this..." He passed the book over to Lucy.

Lucy glanced at the cover. It was a complete works by Edgar Allen Poe. She flipped the book open to where Mason had added a bookmark. The title of the story it marked was The Four. There was a drawing of characters to their likeness. She blinked at the open pages. "He wrote about us?"

Connor smirked. "Seems so," he replied. "And it's one of his best works...better than The Raven."

Lucy turned back to the book. She handed the book over to Rufus. She brushed past the team and towards her room. She pulled books off of her shelf, flipping through them in hopes that she still had her book on Poe. She spied the book she was looking for and opened it to 1848. Upon scanning through the printed words, she discovered that Poe's wife had mysteriously disappeared. There had been no trace of her.

Lucy flipped forward a couple of chapters, scanning the pages as she went. She learned that Poe had filed a police report regarding the kidnapping of his wife, and vowed to always search for her. He still ended up found nearly dead in someone else's clothes, calling out for a man named, 'Reynolds'. He died shortly after. His last words had stayed the same too, 'Lord, help my poor soul'.

Lucy sighed, holding her head in her hands. Things didn't add up. Some things had changed for the poet, but many had remained the same.

After everyone had cleaned themselves up, Rufus approached Jiya. "Hey."

She turned to him, a warm smile on her face. "Hey back. How was 'Nevermore'?" she joked.

Rufus glanced down nervously at his feet before asking, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she replied, blinking at the question.

He shook his head. "I meant about the visions..."

She shifted in her place. "They're fine."

"Look," he began. "Poe had visions of the future too."

"What?" she asked, face contorting at the statement.

Rufus nodded. "He wrote a few books based on his visions. I don't remember the names of them, but I'm sure that Lucy will know if you're curious-"

"What are you trying to say, Rufus?" Jiya asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

Rufus took a hesitant step backward. "I asked him if he's always had them...if he thought they were a gift from God like Harriet Tubman did." Jiya waited patiently for him to continue. He added, "He felt it was a curse."

"He's not wrong, you know," she pointed out.

Rufus's face showed his concern for her well-being. He sighed. "I don't think your visions are a curse...but..."

"They aren't your problem," Jiya stated. "I'm fine."

"What if there's a connection between you and Harriet and Poe-" he started.

She cut him off. "I'm going to say this one more time, okay? I'm fine. I'm learning to control them."

Rufus was about to say something more to her on the matter, but she shook her head, brushing by him. He watched her storm off, knowing to let it go for now. There wouldn't be any good to come from hounding her on it. He'd have to continue to search for answers on her behalf.