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  Slowly, Anj stood from the table as well. "Guy, up." He reached down to grab the harness of his Seeing Eye dog, who had been waiting at his side throughout the meal.

  "See you at dinner," Zes said.

  Anj put his other hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'll find you sooner. I need to take Guy out to do his business before my next class. You can come with me if you'd like."

  "Nah, like I said, I'll see you at dinner."

  "Okay." Anj let go and soon was lost in the crowd of students in the cafeteria.

  Should I stay, or do I leave too? Awkward silence was beginning to set in at the table. Teague stayed, eating his food slowly, deciding to soak up as much time with his uncle as possible. Even if they didn't say a word, and it was the most uncomfortable moment in his life, he would stay.

  "Do you mean it? What you said? About love?" Zes asked, out of nowhere, finally being the first one to acknowledge Teague was at the table.

  Nodding, Teague relaxed in his chair. "Yes, I think so. Because when you love someone, you're able to get through all the obstacles that come in front of your path. They're worth jumping through hoops, crawling through trenches and stuff."

  "True. Looking at my brother's love life, I've seen it happen. They've been through a lot of stuff, and I don't even know the half of it." Zes sighed. "Do you ever..." He shook his head.

  Teague leaned forward. "Do I ever what? It's okay. I won't tell. I promise."

  Zes studied him with his soft, brown eyes. They were so much gentler than Anj's. After a moment, he spoke again. "Do you ever wish you could have what everyone else seems to get? I know that sounds really stupid, and I know I shouldn't be jealous. But I am. Everywhere I look, everyone else has things so much easier. Then I have to struggle to get even an ounce of happiness, and that's usually taken away from right under my nose."

  "It's not stupid to want something to be simple. Working gets tiring after a while. There's a phrase: even God got to rest."

  "I'd like to not have the short end of the stick sometime soon," Zes grumbled. "They always say life isn't fair — and I hate to come off as ungrateful for the things I do have — it's just that I would like some fairness to come my way sometime soon."

  For whatever reason, Zes was choosing to unload on Teague. What did he say in return? Anything? Did he just let Zes keep talking? That seemed like the safest thing, so rather than share an opinion or unsolicited advice, he simply nodded.

  "People look at me like I have everything, like we do — my brother and I, I mean," Zes continued. "Sometimes I get tired of pretending. No one can have everything, right?"

  "Right," Teague said.

  Zes' gaze narrowed. "I'm probably boring you with all of this."

  "No." Teague shook his head quickly. "I promise I'm not bored. You sound like you've been sad about all of this for a while. That makes me sad, too." Those weren't the original words he'd have chosen to comfort his uncle. He had to keep up with the innocence act.

  "I promise I'm not ungrateful," he whispered.

  "I know. Sometimes, it's okay to want to dream for bigger and better things. Those are the things that keep us going. We need goals and stuff. When those goals feel impossible to achieve, it's the most heartbreaking feeling in the world." Teague knew all too well how that felt. He'd had his fair share of shattered dreams, just like everyone else. It seemed to run in the family, like a curse.

  "I don't know why I'm even telling you all of this," Zes said quietly. "Wait, no, I do know. Because you relax me in a lot of the same ways Cheyenne did. With her, I never felt like I was being judged. I get similar vibes from you. Like what I say isn't going to be right or wrong. It just is. Sometimes things need to just be. There's also something...familiar about you."

  Teague's breath caught in his throat. Was it possible Zes recognized him? Don't be stupid, there is no way he'd see me for who I really am. It's just not possible. I don't even exist yet, nor will I for another four years...at least! He relaxed then noticed Zes was staring at him. Was I supposed to respond?

  Shifting in his chair, Teague shrugged. "Probably see a lot of Jewl in me, since we're related."

  "Yeah, you have the same eyes. Though yours are more blue," Zes said. He frowned and shook his head.

  "What's wrong?" Teague asked.

  Again, Zes shook his head. "Nothing, just thinking. Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble. One of my many talents." He rolled his eyes. "I should probably go study."

  "Sure." Teague watched him go. He still had another hour until his next class. After that lunch period, he'd need the time to regroup. My uncle... He'd never been real to Teague before. At that moment, he was there in the flesh and in so much pain without any help. I can't let him die.

  Chapter Six

  "We're expert time travelers, so make sure you pay attention to all of the rules," Cory said. He folded his arms in front of him while they waited for Denver to join them. Alain was busy setting up the ritual. The three of them were in the middle of the forest, deep on campus. The weather was warm with only a slight breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees. Far too peaceful of a setting for what they were about to do.

  Alain snorted, drawing a circle in the dirt around Teague's feet. "Right, this from the guy who almost got us stuck in the Jurassic Period because he tried to smuggle a dinosaur egg in his pocket."

  "Having a pet dinosaur would be cool."

  "And stupid on so many levels. You should have known it wasn't going to work since you know the rules the best."

  "Which is why I'm an expert, and I'm going to go over them now so that T doesn't get stuck, too." Cory cleared his throat. "You can't bring anything from the past into the future, just things from the future into the past."

  Alain started to draw symbols around the circle. "If it's a thing that is obviously from the future, that'll get you stuck, too. But food, generic clothing, or time-appropriate things are safe."

  "Unless you're us, but you're not, so..."

  "Right, we have slightly different rules because when we time travel, we can control if we're going to be participants or spectators. People we send back don't get an option. They participate — the end." Alain stepped back to look at his work and then scowled. "You can help me with this, you know."

  Cory snorted. "Why? I couldn't make anything symmetrical if my life depended on it. I'm not OCD like you."

  "Lazy."

  "That, too." Cory rolled his icy blue eyes. "Anyway, rule number two. If you change things to the point where you no longer exist in the future, you're going to get stuck."

  Teague raised an eyebrow. "I won't just disappear?"

  "Nope, because while you're altering a timeline, you're also making yourself a nomad spirit by entering a different place than where you belong. So be careful with what you do if you want to come back home again."

  Alain went to stand by his twin. "I'm not sure how familiar you are with quantum physics, but there's a theory that all of our actions create different threads of our lives. You've chosen to do this ritual in this timeline, but in another timeline you might have decided against it. It's weird and complicated."

  "Yeah, it breaks my brain," Cory admitted.

  "Everything breaks your brain." Alain gave his twin a sideways glance. "Point I'm trying to make, T, is that if you go back in time to change something, it only affects the line you're in. If you change it so you no longer exist, then you won't be born in the future of that line. You'll be stuck there for the rest of your life, though. Which might be weird, or maybe not. I'm not sure how I would feel about seeing Mom and Dad as...not Mom and Dad."

  Cory shuddered. "Creepy and gross, if you ask me. Glad I don't have to be there for long."

  His twin gave him a dark look before returning his gaze to Teague. "This is a fragile time for all of us," Alain added. "If you change too much of the past, it could make it so none of us are born in your newly created lifetime. There will come a point where you'll have to decide if the consequences of your actio
ns are worth it."

  "So, what you're telling me is that no matter what I do, there will be a timeline where nothing is different, anyway? What's the point then?" Teague asked.

  "The point is you don't have to live in that other time. You live in this one. So if you want to change your life, go for it." Cory gave him a thumbs up.

  Alain circled around Teague, nodding. "If I didn't support this idea, I wouldn't have agreed to help you. As much as Mom and Dad say life moves on, and they're okay, they're still hurting a lot. It's not going to go away. Plus, I think there are some big political repercussions that can be fixed, too. This Denver guy might think he's the only one getting benefited from what we're doing, but –"

  "I'm not," Denver said, finally joining the group. "You all are smart kids. That's why I knew you'd want to help me." He coughed, deep from his chest, bending forward in an effort to stay balanced. Every day he came by, the cough was worse and he grew paler.

  Taking in a shaky breath, Teague faced Cory. "Is there anything more I need to know?"

  "That's all the big stuff. Hold on to who you are. People we send back have a tendency to get confused and forget a lot of things. When you're ready to come back, you –"

  ****

  From there, the memory was static. Teague couldn't, for the life of him, gain access to that vital piece of information. It seemed he didn't have as much of his mind back as he originally thought. I guess it's not a big deal, since I still have things to do. If I never remember, then I definitely won't be going back anytime soon.

  At least he was in a familiar setting and a relatively safe place. For a while, the demons were trying to kill him. They stalked him and terrorized him. He figured out it was because Lucien somehow learned about him being the next heir to Hades. No doubt that was threatening to the demon. With Lucien on the run and Denver in charge, the attacks from the Dark were over. Vala was a place he knew, even if he was in a time period not his own. Outside of technological differences, everything was the same. If need be, he could make a new life for himself.

  I'd miss my parents being my parents, though. That would be the hardest thing to adjust to. Somehow, he'd have to find a way to manage. I only have to worry about that if I get stuck. Positive attitude is everything — that's what Cory and Madison say. He'd miss them as well. So long as he didn't screw up anything involving his parents' relationship, he'd see them again one way or another.

  Teague closed his eyes and tried to get his mind to focus. What he needed to remember was what his father told him only a few months before he left for the past. Focus. Just clear your mind and focus. It's all here. Everything is all here. I just need to fo–

  A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughtful daze. Grumbling, he went over to answer the door. Halyn stood on the other side. She waved and bounced into his dorm. He was pretty sure she was the only one who came over to see him willingly and didn't think his room was a disturbing psychological mess.

  "Hey, T!" She sat down on his couch, making herself right at home.

  "Hi," he said and sat down next to her. "What's up? Can I help you?"

  She laughed. "Oh come on, you know I just come by to hang out and see you. Ever since you got back from the hospital wing, you've been so tense and serious. No fun."

  "Must have a lot on my mind," he confessed.

  "Li-ke? You can tell me," she said. "And I promise, I'll keep it to myself. Nothing you've ever told me has ever been repeated by these lips."

  He gave her a small smile. "I know. I trust you. Most of what I'm thinking about is still getting over what's happened with Denver."

  She scrunched up her nose. "Being attacked by a demon would be pretty traumatizing for anyone. There was this one time the demons tried to take Cheyenne while we were out on a walk, and it scared the snot out of me. They're big and intimidating."

  "These ones were a smaller type," he said. "My thoughts are more along the lines of, I want to help. There's a way I can, and I'm having a hard time coming up with the answer." He tapped his head. "But it's in there. How do you get things to come out that you need when you need them and they're lost?"

  Halyn grabbed the sides of his face and forced him to look at her. "Let's see... I could give you one of my parents’ special remedies? It's easy to make. I do it all the time for tests. Oh, and sometimes doing research on whatever you're in need of finding out helps."

  "What should I research?" he asked, frowning.

  "I don't know. You're the one who wants to figure out how to help with the whole messed-up situation." She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I do, too, but I'm just as stumped for ideas. Helplessness has been sinking in since Chey was first taken to the underworld by that monster. Everything got weird after that night. Maybe you shouldn't frustrate yourself with the task. The teachers are on it, and so is the Divine Council."

  But some of the Divine Council want Lucien to succeed. They've been poisoned by his promises of more power. Focus. What am I missing... He scratched his chin. If Denver can send out demons to investigate for him, as an heir, I can too. That was one of the reasons he appointed me, so I could use the Dark to my advantage. I'm going to have to suck it up and just do it, even if the underworld scares me.

  "It's sweet you want to do something, though." She ran her hand up and down his arm.

  His gaze trailed the path of her hand, and he shivered a little from the touch. When she did things like that, he often wondered if perhaps she were performing some kind of spell on him. Did voodoo magic have a love potion of some kind? Or was he that attracted to her that he found everything she did to be seductive, even if he was sure she meant it innocently. Because he didn't believe she was trying to do anything but be his friend.

  Carefully and casually, he shifted so she was no longer rubbing his arm. Unfortunately, with the way he did so, her hand moved from his arm to his chest. For a moment, her hand lingered there before moving. He noticed her cheeks glow a faint pink, no doubt mimicking the color he felt growing in his own, and then she put her hands in her lap.

  "Of course I want to help," he said softly. "But right now my options are limited, like you said. I guess I should stop worrying about it so much and just try to enjoy the moment for what it is."

  She shrugged. "It's been hard for me to enjoy much of anything. There are mornings where I have to force myself to go to school. Being alone in my dorm room is awful. I almost moved in with Jewl, and she hates my guts."

  "No she doesn't."

  "Yes, she does." She laughed. "I don't take it personally, because I noticed she looks at everyone with nothing but disdain. It's part of who she is. She's not a people person. We would totally butt heads over everything. And honestly, I'd be okay with that at this point, because at least I wouldn't have to be alone anymore."

  Teague tried to think of something to say to defend his mother but was coming up dry. Halyn made a strong point. Jewl did make a good effort at pushing everyone away from her. He didn't believe it had anything to do with her hating people, though.

  He put his hands on his knees. "If you asked, she might be willing to try it some time. You know, if you set up some ground rules and stuff. I don't think she likes living alone much either."

  "I'll...think about it." Halyn gave him a weak half-smile. She wouldn't ask; he was pretty positive she wouldn't bother.

  "That remembering spell you mentioned," he said, shifting the gears of the conversation. "Can you perform it on me so I can remember more things? Maybe I don't have anything helpful in my brain, but then I wouldn't be stuck with so much of my life missing."

  She clapped her hands together, excited. "Yes, I love this idea! I will totally make you a potion or five."

  "One should be enough, right?" he asked.

  "Depending on how much you want to remember. A whole lifetime will take way more than one. Five is a good number to start with." She nodded. "Project!"

  Then she flung her arms around him, hugging him close. With great reluctance, he return
ed the hug. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage affection from her. A hug of happiness was a normal thing for friends to do, right? It wouldn't be viewed as him having feelings for her? Because even if he was developing romantic interest in her, he couldn't act like it. Hugs were safe. Everyone gave hugs.

  "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered.

  He closed his eyes, savoring the moment. It was the first time anyone said anything good about his arrival at Vala in the past. "Thanks."

  "Are you going to prom?" she asked, suddenly.

  He shook his head. "I'm not a junior or a senior."

  "I know. Wasn't sure if an upperclassman asked you." She giggled. "After all, you're super cute and adorable and hang out with the twins. It's so lame that even at a school as small at this one that only juniors and seniors are allowed to go. What about the rest of us?"

  "That's what the activity night is for," he pointed out.

  Halyn let out a heavy, dramatic, sigh. "It's still not prom. How am I supposed to get the full high school experience if I'm not allowed to go? The activity night sounds like a glorified babysitting job for the teachers not chaperoning the dance. Are you going to that then?"

  "I might," he said.

  "If you go, I will."

  Teague narrowed his gaze. "You got asked to prom, didn't you?" It took a lot of will power to squash his jealousy down. Why even bother to feel such an emotion in the first place? Yet, the idea of her going with another guy to the most romantic dance of the high school career bothered him. There was just something about her that captivated him.

  The way she smirked at him suggested she must have known how he was feeling. It came across as way too smug.

  She gave him an innocent shrug. "I got asked by a handful of guys. Most are on my 'definitely never going to happen' list. Dweebs, geeks, and the all-around socially challenged. Not to say I'm not flattered, and they're nice, but I'm pretty sure I only got asked because they were desperate for a date and thought I would make for an easy 'yes'. No thank you."