Elijah stood in front of the classroom with Emily and Ashley beside him. The room smelled like Teen Spirit mixed with chalk, body spray, and cigarettes. Tension lingered in the air as the students fixated on Emily's P.I.A. jacket. The gossip and flirting swiftly turned silent as Rachel entered the room with mulberry eyes.
"Right on time," Emily said as she stared at Rachel as she stood at the door.
Elijah's eyes widened as he stared at Rachel. Her aura, which now matched her eye color, radiated around her like a swarm of fireflies. He noticed the preoccupied look in her eyes as if she was focused on something else, when her gaze shifted toward her classmates. A jolt of deja vu struck him as he looked at Rachel, staring at the chairs in the back of the class.
"Okay, what in the fuck is going on!?" Sarah chuckled as she looked at Rachel and then back at Emily. "Talk about going through a phase."
"Forget all that; she should be expelled for slapping me," Mike interjected.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "If she slapped you, then you probably deserved it," she mocked, then rolled her eyes at Emily. "Rache, please ditch the contacts, and secondly, why does that weirdo have a P.I.A. jacket on?"
Rachel sighed, and her eyebrows furrowed. "They are not contacts, and I'm wondering the same thing, Sarah," Rachel replied, her eyes drifting toward Emily. "Just another secret to file away in the ever-growing mystery of Emily."
Emily shrugged and smirked. "What can I say. I am a girl of many talents, which the P.I.A. noticed. Isn't that right?" Emily asked as she glanced at Eli.
Elijah rubbed his salt-and-pepper beard as he glanced toward Ashley, who shrugged. He then looked up at Rachel; her eyes pierced through him like lightning. She mumbled something under her breath and shook her head. Her eyes glowed briefly, and then everything stopped. The world stuttered like it was caught in molasses as Sarah's laugh cut off mid-breath.
"What the fuck?" Elijah mumbled out loud as he glanced around the classroom.
The tension in the air was replaced with an eerie silence. The constant noise of everyday life, footsteps, and chatter crept to a halt. Eli's eyes drifted toward Sarah, whose body was frozen like a mannequin in her chair. He noticed Ashley standing motionless behind him, a worried expression etched on her face.
Rachel frowned as she leaned on the door, staring at Emily's smirk as she stood still like a statue. "I told myself I wouldn't use my powers, but I need to talk to you about Emily," she said, looking up at Elijah. Then, clutching her hand, she breathed deeply.
Elijah slowly reached out toward the teacher's desk. Rubbing his mocha hands across it before rolling a pencil. He rubbed his face, then swallowed as he looked back at Rachel.
"You stopped time?" Elijah asked as he moved his arms and legs, his eyes wide like a kid who had just learned to ride a bike. "Wait—the loops… is this how they happen?"
Rachel's eyebrows raised. "How do you...Oh, Emily has been spilling the tea."
"She handed me a note at the intersection. So it's true, you are the reason for the time loops?"
Rachel rubbed her arm. "Yeah, I am, but that's just half the issue," she explained as she looked at him and then at Emily. "Did she tell you anything else?"
"Like what?"
Rachel sighed and looked up at the ceiling before glancing back at him. "Something about an Engine. That ring a bell?"
Elijah shrugged and shook his head. "Listen, kid, I suspect Emily didn't tell me everything. Your Conduit powers are fucking destabilizing reality, and the P.I.A. wants you dealt with. Do you get what I am saying?"
Rachel paused, then glanced down at the floor. "Yeah, I know. But I am only one part of the issue. I want to fix this, and I need your help."
"₣łӾ ₮Ⱨł₴?" Emily laughed as her eyes started to glow a mulberry color. She grabbed at the air, then stretched her arms as if she fought her way out of quicksand. "ɎØɄ ₳ⱠⱤɆ₳ĐɎ ฿ⱤØ₭Ɇ ɎØɄⱤ ₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ ₱ⱤØ₥ł₴Ɇ ₮ⱧɆ₦ Đ₳ⱤɆ ₮Ø ₴₳Ɏ ɎØɄ ₩₳₦₮ ₮Ø ₣łӾ ₮Ⱨł₴?"
Elijah's mouth opened as he stared at Emily as she rubbed her neck.
"ɎØɄ ₥₳Ɏ ฿Ɇ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ฿Ɇł₦₲ Ø₦ⱠɎ ₱₳Ɽ₮ Ø₣ ₮ⱧɆ ₱ⱤØ฿ⱠɆ₥, ฿Ʉ₮ ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₮ⱧɆ Ø₦ⱠɎ Ø₦Ɇ ⱧɆⱤɆ ₩ⱧØ ₵₳₦ ₥₳₦ł₱ɄⱠ₳₮Ɇ ₮ł₥Ɇ. ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₳ ₵Ø₦ĐɄł₮, ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₳ ₣ØⱤ₵Ɇ Ø₣ ₦₳₮ɄⱤɆ."
"And you made it worse!" Rachel shouted back.
"ł ₩₳₴ ₮ⱤɎł₦₲ ₮Ø ₱ⱤØ₮Ɇ₵₮ ɎØɄ ₣ⱤØ₥ ₮ⱧɆ ₴₳₥Ɇ ₴Ⱨł₮ ł ₩Ɇ₦₮ ₮ⱧⱤØɄ₲Ⱨ!"
"I am only going through it because you tucked your tail and ran."
Elijah started to hear footsteps echoing in the hallway, followed by the clunk of a pencil dropping to the floor. The air felt lighter as he looked at Rachel, whose eyes burned bright like molten lava. He blinked heavily as Sarah's laugh ripped through the silence.
Emily balled her hands into a fist as her nostrils flared. Her eyes faded back to a vibrant green as she pushed her hair out of her face. She reached for Rachel's hair as she shoved her into the door.
"Oh shit!" Sarah yelled with wide eyes. "Rache, don't you let that bitch do that to you!?"
Elijah was shoved to the side as the class erupted into chaos, and Rachel shoved Emily to the ground. Emily growled as she stood up and rushed at Rachel, grabbing her hair as they swung at each other. Students shouted and stood up, their desks scattered and slid as Rachel and Emily rolled on the ground. Faculty opened the door as they heard the commotion, futilely attempting to break them up as they punched and clawed at one another.
"Fuck my life," Elijah muttered to himself as he pushed past students and teachers. "That's enough!" He yelled as he grabbed Rachel and dragged her off Emily. He gestured for Ashley to grab Emily, who kicked and swung feverishly.
"Let go of me!" Rachel screamed as she flopped into Elijah's arms, and he dragged her out of the school.
"Shut up," Elijah replied as he approached his Mustang.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Why does it matter. You can freeze time."
Rachel frowned as Elijah opened the car door.
"Get in before I start regretting this," Eli ordered as he cranked the ignition. You said you wanted to talk; well, here's your chance.
He lit a cigarette as Rachel got into the passenger seat. She glared at the high school as he pulled out of the parking lot. His heart raced, and his arm shook as he collected himself. He coughed as he took a long drag and exhaled a large cloud of smoke. Rachel swiped at the air as she rolled down the window.
"She's right; every time an inconvenience happens, I fucked with time to solve it," Rachel muttered with furrowed eyebrows.
"Look, kid, I am not going to sit here and pretend like I know what the fuck is going on. You got powers that are a problem for everyone, and you need to learn how to control them," Elijah replied as he glanced in the rearview mirror to see if he was being followed.
"It's just not that easy, but you're right. I can't keep doing this. At least I didn't rewind time this time."
"These time loops, how do we stop them?"
"You don't, I do, by just not rewinding time. Sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting something more elaborate."
"Do you know the full extent of it? Like, is it contained to just this town or not?"
Rachel paused and breathed deeply. "Yeah, it's not just contained to where I am. It's time itself."
"Son of a bitch," Elijah groaned as he flicked his cigarette out the window. "And what exactly is Emily?"
"She doesn't follow the same rules as we do."
"What do you mean?"
Rachel shook her head. "You will have to see it to understand."
Elijah's eyebrow raised as he grabbed another cigarette and stopped at an intersection.
"Where can we go that Emily wouldn't suspect us to go?"
"Why do you ask?"
"My agency hasn't been upfront about this assignment. I have dealt with all types of Conduits, Binders, and Anomalies. Some can shoot fire, some levitate, hell, some have telekinetic powers, but nothing like you," Elijah explained as he drove. "A drug cartel leader is undercover working for my agency, and they want me to hand-deliver you on a silver platter."
"Did Emily tell you what happened in the last loop?"
"She did, which is why I put my eggs in the basket of the time-manipulating teenager."
Rachel chuckled. "I'm not a safe option."
"It's the only option I have. Everyone has been lying to me and manipulating me, and I am sick of it. If I want the answers or a solution, then it's best to work with the source directly."
"I don't have all the answers, but I get it," Rachel replied. "But I know where I might get some answers."
"And where is that?"
Rachel pointed at a street sign. "Turn here," She ordered.
"Where are we going?"
"We are going to Emily's home. That's where she keeps her secrets."
"You sure about this?"
Rachel nodded. "If you're going to help me, then you will need to understand the bigger picture."