1 The Time Traveler's Grief

Layla travels through time but she can only go to a certain time once and never again. As long as she wanted to be there, she shall go there. She didn't always have this gift. She had only awaken this ability after the heartbreaking tragedy.

There is a time she won't return to. A time where he lived. He was someone who she absolutely treasured, her best friend, Zeal. She couldn't even stand looking at a picture of him without dealing with the Grief she felt.

As time goes on, the passing days since his death. It doesn't get better for Layla, only worse. Everything gets harder and she doesn't know who to turn to anymore.

This pushes Layla to go to a place where she had sworn to never go to. She travels just this once to see him. However, her timing is off...

she ends up in a time before they had ever met.

...

Layla sat there in the familiar room. She stared at the blue painted walls and the stack of plain colored notebooks on the desk.

She took a deep breath in but she knew what was wrong. She had gone too far back, something was blocking her from going to the time she wanted to go to.

It was just more problems adding on to her pile. Everything felt so heavy to her. The people, The work, even just breathing felt so burdensome.

"It's all a mess... I can't even travel correctly now..." Layla said teary eyed and looking around afraid.

The door opened and in walked Zeal. He looked studious and carried a few books in his arms.

They locked eyes and Layla was practically speechless seeing the person in front of her.

Zeal straightened out his jacket collar and awkwardly took a step back for the door.

Even though Layla had traveled to a time when he still existed, she could barely bring herself to say anything as she grabbed onto the sleeve of his white shirt.

Zeal jumped a bit before finally opening his mouth to talk, "Who are you?"

Layla wasn't surprised. She had expected this, "I'm from the future. We used to be best friends."

Zeal looked skeptical and laughed it off as if it was a joke, "If your a time traveler, why did you return to a time when I don't even remember you?"

Layla laid her head down on her knees as tears stared to run down her eyes, "I... I tried... It didn't work."

"If we really are best friends. Which of my legal names do I not like and why?" Zeal asked wanting to give her a chance. How could he not give her a chance when she cried silently in front of him.

"Lavender, it's your middle name. You don't like it because it sounds so girly." Layla said with a slight chuckle to herself.

Zeal looked at Layla with a sympathetic look. He had not told anyone this, he didn't have any friends and felt like he couldn't bring this up to anyone in his family.

"You said we used to be friends. What happened?" He asked closing the door behind him before moving to sit next to her.

Layla clenched her fist and hesitated to speak but she couldn't care less if this would mess up the time lines, "When we graduated from high school together... you... I..." She took a deep breath and continued, "We were walking down the street going to our favorite hang out place. I was walking in front of you and I heard a car horn to my left. You pushed me as hard as you could out of the way. I watched the color fade from your face. I called an ambulance but they were too late."

Zeal was silent for a moment. He knew all to well what this could have meant for him, "Did I do well in school?"

Layla couldn't understand why he had asked this but she answered him anyways, "You never cared about homework. You just wanted to have fun and make the most out of each day. You smiled so happily."

To Zeal, Layla's answer was like the last dot he needed to make the connections, "It would seem that this moment has happened before. I would never give up homework unless I knew that my time was limited and running out."

Zeal got up and walked to the dark wooden shelf near his desk. He grabbed a decorative metallic silver box off the shelf and messed with the built in number lock.

"When you go back in time, I want you to open this box. I'll have many words to tell you." He said sitting back down.

Layla recognized the silver box. She had seen it many times before, "Nobody knows how to open this box. You never told anyone. You always said that when the time is right, somebody will open the box. Somebody special who really needs it."

Zeal turned the box around revealing the number combination of 2374. He opened the box and inside sat white envelopes with cherry blossoms printed on the sides, "That person will be you. I probably never told you it before because I knew that when the time was right you'd travel back and know the combination to open it."

Layla looked at the envelopes and the blank papers, "You mother will be happy to see it opened. She has been waiting patiently for someone to open it."

"Then you shouldn't make her wait longer." Zeal said holding up an envelope for Layla to have, "I never had a reason to use these. Now they have a purpose. I hope you find happiness. If not, check in again but maybe this time in the correct time."

Layla grabbed the envelope and closed her eyes. She opened them again to see that she was standing outside of his house. The same place she was when she had decided to jump back.

Layla held her hand out and pressed the door bell in front of her.

Zeal's mother opened the door and pushed her silky blonde hair to the side.

"Layla, what are y-" She stopped when she saw the envelope in Layla's hand.

"I... I came to open the box. Can I?" Layla asked watching Ms. Riona stare at the envelope that she held.

"I recognize that envelope. It been years but it's the only one of its kind." Ms. Riona said smiling as she lead Layla indoors.

"You knew what's in the box?" Layla asked following her into Zeal's room.

Ms. Riona laughed at the question but everybody had assumed the same thing, "I bought it for him. It might not have those anymore but I haven't seen them in the trash since I gifted it to him."

Layla was a little shocked by Ms. Riona's attention to details.

They reached the metallic silver box and Ms. Riona handed to box to Layla. She was practically jumping in place with anticipation to see it opened.

Layla put in the number combination and opened the box slowly. The first envelope wasn't addressed to her but to his mother. Layla handed over the letter and took out the next one with his name on it.

"I've waited for this day. Zeal always told me that one day you would show up with an envelope and you would know exactly how to open the box. He told me to wait until then and that when it happens, I should make sure everything is okay. He said you didn't seem okay when you went back in time to him."

"He told you?" Layla asked biting her lip in guilt.

Ms. Riona hugged onto Layla and patted her back, "We both knew. We just didn't know when you would go back. I just had to wait until you showed up and opened the box."

"I could have saved him! Maybe if we had never met... he would still be alive..." Layla said raising the box to cover her face as she spoke more heartbreaking words, "I could go back and stop the younger me from getting involved with him. Maybe I could even stop myself from trying to go to that stupid hangout place. I could save him..."

Ms. Riona's heart felt sympathy for Layla. It was clear why he had told her to check on Layla. She felt so guilty having this ability and not doing anything to alter time and save Zeal.

Mrs. Riona wanted to do something for Layla but all she could do was tell Layla what she knew "You aren't doing wrong by staying and not altering time. Zeal knew what was going to happen. He wanted to not go that day but he told me that when he thought of you, he was okay with what was going to happen."

"The Universe has it's ways of doing things. You visit him once more and he asks you to save someone. That person lives but someone else took their place. The same way that it will if he didn't go that day. He knew that person would be you."

Layla had tear running down her eyes as she looked at the envelope with her name on it. Everything he couldn't say was on this paper. Everything that he has kept to himself.

"Open it and read it. You can stay here in his room and read it in private." Ms. Riona said closing the door as she left.

Layla opened and started to read the letter in front of her,

My Dearest Layla, my best friend in this universe and time...

I hope your okay and that everything is going alright. I found out a few things in the many years I knew you. There is so much that I wish I could still do with you.

I wanted to tell you about a something I noticed today but I'm guessing I wont have time to tell you before the accident happens.

The second letter in hear is for after our second encounter back in time.

I know you'll miss me. If it was me, I would miss you too.

I talked with your mother before she passed away. I wanted to know about your time traveling ability. It's an inherited ability from her side of the family.

I told her about how you turn out and that you'll be okay eventually. That she should smile and give you some good memories to look back at. I told her about when you awakened your ability and why.

She said it was also a good idea to not tell you about it and to let time run normally. That time gives an obvious choice of who will go away that day if you do anything to it.

I know she passed away the year after I died and that you lost your two closest people.

I never had the courage to tell you this while I was alive. I was always afraid that it would only cause you more grief and sorrow.

I love you Layla

Signed,

Zeal Lavender Elios.