I'm Nine Again 9 Set The Stage

"We waited for you," June said in a cold and flat tone.

"Do you blame me?" I asked.

"I don't," she said, "You were right, I can't blame you for being right."

"I told you to run," I said.

"You did," she replied.

We stood there in sporadic silence, no one was paying too much attention to the words of the priest. He was visibly upset by the sight of what he might consider cold and emotionless people. The truth is, no one had any more tears left to cry.

"I heard you won $10,000 on a horse race," she said, "I'd tell you that you shouldn't be gambling as a kid but I'm sure you'd just ignore that."

"I would," I said, "Why bring that up now?" I asked, "Do you need money?"

"No," she said, "Anthony makes more than enough. He's been helping me out ever since then."

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Well, it's a small world," she said, "He works under your friends' father. He's an investment banker."

"Is he your boyfriend?" I asked.

She let out a small chuckle and looked over to him, talking to Matthew. Knowing Matthew, it would have probably been about work.

"I don't think so," she said, "Not really yet anyway, we didn't meet at a very opportune time."

The priest finished his sermon and the coffin started getting lowered into the grave. We all lined up to discard a single white rose into the coffin after it had been lowered. The workers nearby were called over and started to shovel dirt back into the grave to fill the hole. We gathered in a circle nearby and that's when the lawyer introduced himself to us.

"I just wanted to start by saying, that I am terribly sorry for your loss," he said, "And there is never any right time to do this, but I wanted to wait until after the service to tell you."

He was met with cold and blank stares from everyone in the group. He cleared his throat and continued.

"Right then Travis, I'm your fathers' lawyer," he said looking at me, "Unfortunately, your father pa.s.sed away last night. It appears he killed himself while in custody."

"Jesus mate!" Anthony said, "He's a kid, ease up a bit."

"No," I interjected, "It's fine, I would have found out anyway, nothing wrong with this man telling me." I turned from Anthony to face the lawyer, "Is there more, or are you just here to tell me that."

"Because you are the only surviving child, his estate will be pa.s.sed on to you," he said, "I know this is going to be hard, but there are some paperwork and legal stuff we need to get through," he said.

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"You can stop talking to me like a kid," I told him, "Where is the paperwork?" I asked.

"Well, if you and a guardian would like to come to my offi-," he said.

"Never mind that," Matthew said. He pulled out a business card and started scribbling something onto the back of it. He handed the card to the lawyer, "That's my address," he said, "Stop by later, we'll all be there. No one wants to be in a lawyers office on the day of a funeral."

The lawyer took the card graciously and placed it in his pocket before bowing his head.

"Okay," he said, "Well, my name is Herbert and it's been a pleasure to meet you all." He bowed his head once more and made his way back to the car he had parked nearby. Matthew turned to face the group.

"We will prepare some food and drinks at our house," Matthew said to June and Anthony, "Anthony you know where I live." Anthony nodded his head.

"We'll go and get changed," he said, "We'll be at your house in about an hour."

* * * * * *

We all went back home. When I say home, I mean Alice's home. Rachel got changed quickly and started getting some food ready. The rest of us got changed into warmer clothes and sat by the fire. Matthew left to help his wife in the kitchen leaving Alice and me.

"How do you feel about your father's death?" Alice asked.

"Indifferent," I said, "a bit p.i.s.sed off actually. He murdered his wife and then took the cowards way out. I was hoping that he would rot in prison."

"Do you think the preservationists will come after us for that?" Alice asked. I thought for a moment and shook my head.

"No, they will hopefully just lump that in with the future that we've already changed," I said.

"Probably not today," Alice started, "But someday, we are going to have to talk about that."

I nodded in agreement but didn't dare say much more in case they really had bugged the house. After an hour, June and Anthony came by and not long after them, the lawyer, Herbert, showed up. We all stood around the living room, eating light snacks and drinking some drinks. The adults all had a beer or a wine. Something that they wouldn't let us have, so there would be no point in asking.

"Let me just start by saying," Herbert said while rummaging through the paperwork on the table in front of him, "That Alex's funeral will be held on next Friday. That I when his parents have decided to set it."

"I don't care," I said, "I won't be going. Let's talk about the estate."

"You won't be going to his funeral?" the lawyer asked.

"His parents didn't come to Aprils funeral," June said. Her voice seeming more cold and bitter than I'd ever heard before.

"Travis?" Herbert asked.

"Let's get on with the business of his estate," I said, "What are we looking at?" I asked.

"Okay," he said looking fl.u.s.tered, "Well, as the sole surviving offspring, you will inherit all of his a.s.sets. The a.s.sets include the house you grew up in as well as his car. They will both be sold, and the money will be used to pay back the amount he has left owing to the bank for the mortgage. The rest of the money will be placed into a trust fund until you turn 18."

"A trust fund, is that in his will?" I asked.

"Well he didn't have a will," Herbert said.

"So why is the money going into a trust fund?" I asked, "If I'm to inherit his a.s.sets then shouldn't I be inheriting them now unless stated otherwise?"

"Well, it's very normal for a.s.sets to be handled by a trust if the beneficiary is underaged," he said.

"Normal, but not a legal requirement," I said.

Herbert looked around the room to the other staring faces until Matthew broke the silence.

"Travis is a smart kid," he said, "He doesn't need us to be giving him advice, and similarly he doesn't need you looking for us to answer questions for him." Matthew finished his last mouthful of beer and placed his bottle down on the table before continuing, "If Travis wants help, then he'll ask for it."

"Okay," Herbert said, "Moving forwards then, the car is worth $3000 and the house is estimated to be worth $250,000. Your father still owes $148,000 to the bank. If we sell the a.s.sets then after paying back the loans, you will receive $101,000 in inheritance."

"How much are the monthly repayments?" I asked.

"I'm sorry?" Herbert asked confused.

"The monthly payments on the mortgage," I said, "How much?"

"Oh, well each month your father owes the bank $850 in repayments," Herbert said.

"What if instead of selling the house," I said, "We put it on the rental market?" I asked. I looked around the room for approval and n.o.body seemed to have any reservations about the idea. I looked back to Herbert.

"It's a three-bedroom house within proximity to a primary school," I said, "How much per month would we be able to charge rent on the property?" I asked.

"Forgive my insensitivity," Herbert said, "But considering that it's a house that has had a murder take place with it, that would lower the property value."

"Still," I said, "If we were able to put the property on the rental market," I said, "Would we be able to generate enough to cover the monthly mortgage payments?"

"Theoretically speaking, your father secured a good interest rate on the home loan so if it was put on the rental market then sure, you could expect to make enough to cover the cost of the mortgage," Herbert said, "But that brings up a whole other list of problems to go through. You're currently too young to be a property manager and legally sign some contracts."

"Then I can have the rental managed through a trust," a said.

"That means a whole different list of paperwork," Herbert replied.

"Well you're the lawyer," I said, "I a.s.sume you have all of that paperwork. Anyway, that is what I want to be done with my fathers' estate. Are you able to do that?" I asked.

Once again Herbert looked around the room for some other inputs, preferably adult, but his search was to no avail as he centered his gaze back on me.

"If that is what you want," he said, "Then it is my job as a lawyer to facilitate that for you. You're a bit smarter than people would give you credit for," he said at an attempt at flattery.

"I get the credit I deserve when I earn it," I said.

I signed what paperwork I had to sign, and Herbert left. There was still more paperwork I would have to sign later in the week. June and Anthony left shortly afterward. Beforehand though, she did say a few words to me.

"It looks like you are being taken care of here," June said with her usual smile coming back to her, "I'm happy that you've found a family that loves you."

"It's okay June, I can tell you're worrying a bit," I said, "It's new for all of us, but we'll get through it."

Later that night while Matthew was working on his laptop and Rachel had gone to bed early. Alice and I sat outside on the balcony, breathing in the cold nights' air as we drank hot chocolate.

"You said you were working on a language, didn't you?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, back in the beginning when this all started," I said, "It was going to be a way to keep notes about the future without anyone being able to read them accidentally."

Alice smiled and continued, "I asked this when we first met but I think that the situation has changed now," she said, "So, would you be able to teach me that language?" she asked.

"That's probably a good idea," I said, "It would mean we would be able to talk with each other and not have to worry about anyone listening in."

"That lawyer today," Alice said, "He didn't seem to happy about you wanting to put your house up for rent."

"He wanted me to put it all in a trust fund," I said scathingly, "He probably just wanted to manage the money in a trust fund and charge its fees. By the time I'm 18, there wouldn't be much left."

"Oh so that was his angle you think?" she asked.

"More than likely," I replied, "Now onto the next topic, what are we going to do?" I asked.

Alice placed her mug on the table and yawned loudly, stretching her entire body out as she did before lifting her legs up and hugging around her knees.

"About the preservationists?" she asked.

"About all of it," I said, "We have knowledge of the future and we both agreed that we're going to change it for the better. We obviously have the preservationists to worry about, but remember what Scarlet said? There are more time travelers. Between 80 and 130 by her count."

"Hey she also said that they aren't one big happy family," Alice said, "Does that mean there might be people out there like us?" she asked.

"What, you mean other people that want to change the future for the better?" I asked.

"Yeah, she said that not all of the time travelers get along. Maybe there are other people out there who want the same thing that we do," she said, "And those people are fighting against the preservationists. They had a lot of guns."

"I suppose you're right," I said, "If there are other people out there then maybe we could meet up with them and join their efforts. We could change the world and not have to worry about the preservationists coming to wreck us."

I looked out into the night sky, watching the stars slowly appear in the night sky.

"Why do you want to do it?" I asked.

Alice leaned forward and stood up, placing her arms over the balcony and looking out over the suburbs below. I stood up and followed her, doing the same thing.

"I didn't at first," Alice said, "I told you, I was lost. I didn't know what I wanted but I knew that I could be rich and that's all I was thinking about. I just focused on my studies and tried to remember everything from the future that I could use here, in the past, to make me money," she turned her head to face me, looking me in the eyes, "Then I met you," she said, "I had a feeling about you, that you were different. I never would have imagined that you were also from the future. But the way you sounded when you came up with that plan to get the princ.i.p.al in trouble, you had a goal and you wanted to see it through. That's when I realized that I had this knowledge of the future that I just wasn't really using to its full potential. I was only thinking of how to benefit myself but you were thinking of how to benefit other people."

Alice turned her back on the view of the suburbs and leaned against the railing looking through the window at Matthew.

"Ever since I met you, all I've ever seen you do is try your best to help other people. You got beat up so that the school would adopt new anti-bullying policies. You got beat by your father because you were trying to protect your mother, even though you knew you had no chance at beating him in a fair fight. In fact, a lot of what I've seen you do is get beat up," she said.

"Hey, that's not fair!" I said. Alice chuckled.

"But that doesn't stop you," she said, "You get beat up and then you get up and you go out there and try to help the next person. It got me thinking."

A tear started to roll down her face. I leaned in close and wiped the tear away from her face as she continued to stare inside at Matthew working hard on the laptop.

"I wonder what kind of person Laura was," she said with more tears welling up in her eyes, "Was she kind? What was her favorite food? What kind of music did she like to listen to? What did she want to be when she grew up? All of that, all of Laura was taken away when I was forced into this body. It got me thinking. How insulting is it, that I would take her body and use my knowledge of the future for my own benefit. Surely, the best way for me to pay respect for the life that I have stolen is to use this opportunity to help as many people as I can, and not just myself."

Alice smiled sombrely and turned to face me, "What about you?" she asked, "Why is it that even in the worst of circ.u.mstances, you try to help everyone? Why do you want to change the future?"

"I think that's my duty," I said.

"Your duty?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was given this opportunity to change the world. I think it's my duty to use my knowledge to save as many people as I can. If I don't have that, then I don't really have anything."

Alice smiled and turned back around to look over the suburbs below us. The lights from the city danced in her eyes as she glanced around.

"So we have to find the other faction," she said, "That's not going to be easy, what do you suggest we do?"

"Maybe, we let them find us," I said, "There has to be some way we can let them know we are here without alerting us to the preservationists."

"We also need a way to protect ourselves from the Preservationists if they come knocking," Alice said, "We should get guns."

The gears in my mind started turning when Alice said that. She was onto something here. Maybe we could use those guns to alert the other faction that we are here.

"Alice," I said, "I think I have a plan but it's really risky."

"What are you thinking, Sean?" she asked.

"What if we started a fight in the open with the Preservationists?" I asked, "They have threatened us, what if we go to war with them. We have a very public gun battle with them. Surely the other faction will realize that there was never any street warfare in 2002 and that would get their attention!"

"Sean," Alice started, "Do you understand what you are saying, you're talking about killing people."

"Killing people who would kill us," I said, "They've made it clear to us that they are our enemy, we would have to fight them at one point, why not fight them when we can put the odds in our favor."

"Stop Sean," she said, "I don't know what I think about this plan, but I don't really want to be talking about it now. Not here on the balcony in a possibly bugged house. Let's get our priorities in order first. Teach me that language." She said with a pa.s.sionate look in her eyes, "Then we use our knowledge of the future and make money with it. Enough money to finance what it is we are doing. Then after all of that, we can talk about trying to find the other factions."

She walked over to the door and slid it open, stepping quietly into the living room as a warm gust of air came rus.h.i.+ng out. She turned to me and beckoned me inside.

"I'm going to bed now Sean," she said, "Let's continue this conversation another time."

* * * * * *

Somewhere close by, in a tall hotel building, a man lets out a heavy breath as the crosshairs on his scope go dark. The curtain was closed behind the two children and he took his face away from the scope of his rifle. He never thought that he would have to kill children. He knew that they weren't children, but adults in the bodies of children. The future he had come from was bleak and arid. The nuclear wars of 2017 had all but destroyed most of the earths habitable land. Warlords rose up from the ashes of a destroyed civilization wreaking havoc among weaker sections of the surviving populations. His wife was kidnapped by a warlord, his child executed in front of his own eyes. Then one day he woke up here, in the year 2002 in the body of a 24-year-old man. Before that though, he was shown a vision. In the hours of sleep before he was sent back in time, he saw a young boy named Travis. The road to h.e.l.l is paved with good intentions and everything that Travis had done to try and save the world, had only bought it closer to the apocalypse.

The man thought to himself. Could he really kill this child? The boy who will be responsible for the destruction of civilization as we know it. Could he really kill the boy who was yet to commit any acts that lead to the destruction of the world? If he were to pull the trigger now, he would be executing an innocent person. But if he pulled the trigger, the world would be saved.

He looked back through the scope and scanned the house for the window to the room Travis was staying in. The man spotted him, standing at the window looking out over the suburbs. He adjusted his scope and lined up the shot. That's when he heard the c.o.c.king action of a pistol behind him. He turned to see another man standing in the doorway of the room with a gun pointed at his direction.

"Are you from the future too?" The man with the sniper asked.

The man in the door slowly stepped into the room with his gun still aimed at the man with the rifle.

"Your body's name is Tristan Grant, you are a news presenter for the local news network on Television," the man said.

Tristan looked back through the scope of his rifle to see Travis still standing at the window looking out to the horizon.

"Are you really going to shoot a child?" the man asked.

"It's not a child," Tristan scoffed.

"It? I'm glad to see someone so self-righteous has such a respect for his fellow man," the man with the gun said.

"If I kill that kid, then I save the world. I stop the nuclear war and humanity goes on the way it always has," Tristan said.

"You aren't the only person who has lost something in the future," The man said, "I don't want to kill you, but if I have to I won't hesitate."

Tristan continued looking down the scope of his rifle, his crosshairs aimed right between the eyes of the young Travis. He moved his finger away from the safe position and placed it on the trigger.

"I'm not going to stop so I guess you're going to have to-," Tristan began saying.

BANG!!!

The loud gunshot rang through the halls of the hotel. The man bent down to look at Tristan's body which collapsed into a heap over the rifle. He looked over the rifle Tristan was using and chuckled to himself.

"What an idiot," he said, "The safety is still on."

Looking out through the window to where Sean was living, the man sighed and started to walk back out of the room.

"This is the second time I've saved you in this timeline Sean," he said to himself, "You owe me a drink when you meet me again."