Sequel: The Fifth World 2

The Fifth World

Janine

Bo: It is Thursday. I almost time traveled in class today. It was quite scary, to be honest. I ran out of class, as I have done many times this school year, because I could feel the pull. I hadn't even reached the bathroom when I disappeared. Luckily nobody saw me.
I found myself outside. I wasn't quite sure exactly. And then I saw myself. I looked different. Strangely different, but not old. I'm in the future.

I look around, feel the cold temperatures as my body shivers. My hands automatically rub at my sides. It is very cold. Snow covers the yard, the grass is barely visible, the trees have thick sheets across their branches and leaves. The pine trees look exceptionally pretty. I breathe out steam as I take a step forward along the brick tiles. I'm home. This is home. I smile excitedly and hurry to the door. My fingers land on the cold glass and I sigh. I see myself.
I see me, my hair a little bit longer and a blond streak down the side. Strange. I then see who is surrounding myself and I gasp. The beautiful golden boy, well, man, the man I have known since I was eleven years old, Cynric, is sitting in my living room with Adam sitting happily in his lap, me sitting beside Cynric, our fingers intertwined and my dear mother sitting on the coffee table, a steaming cup of coffee in her bony hands. Why is Cynric there? He shouldn't be there. Nobody knows about Cynric. Hell, nobody knows he even exists. Cynric looks exactly the same. I smile as I admire his beauty and then my eyes flicker to Adam whose dark Amber hair is even curlier and even longer. My smile widens. I then look at my mother who is barely recognizable.
She looks better. A lot better. Her long, red hair is even more vibrant, her pale and freckly skin is glowing. I wish I could see her face but her back is to me. I watch myself speak, watch how Cynric looks at me with love in his eyes, see how Adam looks up at Cynric like he is his idol and how my mother watches me and smiles. Then she laughs and the sound is beautiful. I feel tears erupt in my eyes. It has been a long time since I've heard her laugh.
I feel the pull, sigh as my fingers claw at the window hoping that maybe my presence in the future will be prolonged. I watch myself, inside my house, my elder self look up. Our eyes connect and widen. Then Cynric looks up and he sees me. His eyes widen too. Then I am gone.

I expect to appear at school somewhere, or have myself running into the bathroom or be in the bathroom already. But I am not. I breathe out nervously and look at my surroundings. Where am I? The sun shines brightly in the big and blue sky. I am standing on a golden brick path with strange, old fashioned buildings around me. Have I time traveled all the way back to the 1800's or something? I realize that I am not alone. I blink and feel my eyes widen as my heart pounds. These people have just seen me... appear. But nobody takes a second look, some smile at me, nod their heads... others keep walking by as if I am invisible. With trembling hands I blend in with the crowds, some of them wearing entirely white clothes (strangely like Cynric) and the rest wearing vintage clothing, some from different era's, I can spot outfits from the sixties, seventies, eighties, from the early nineteen hundreds and even from the eighteen hundreds. This is so strange. I look down at myself, at my tight legged denim jeans that have tears at the knees, my black tee-shirt and I remember my disgustingly tied up hair. I just couldn't be bothered this morning. My hair is greasy and I feel like I haven't had a shower in days. It's been twenty four hours, though. I keep walking and then I realize... things are so different yet so familiar. I recognize these buildings, these outfits, the people... this is the Fifth World.
My eyes widen when I see somebody in the distance appear out of no where. Oh my god. I see a house cat - wearing some kind of thick red fabric which looks like a diaper around it's lower half - running between the feet of people ahead of me and then it runs down an alley, disappears and then a grown man emerges from the same alley with red shorts on. He has no shoes, no watch or jewelery and no shirt. Everybody continues down the street. I stare in amazement.
After a few minutes I come to the conclusion that the people surrounding me that are half naked are the Shape Shifters, the people dressed entirely in white are the Angelicans and the people in outfits that definitely don't belong in this decade are Time Jumpers. And the rest? Well, I guess they're just everyone that aren't using their powers at the moment or wearing the white attire that most Angelicans prefer to wear.

"Bo?" I hear a voice and automatically turn around. A girl stares at me, her long and red hair is beautiful, she is beautiful. She is wearing a white blouse with a white pencil skirt. She is an Angelican.

I feel my eyebrows furrow as I stare at her, "yes?"

She narrows her eyes at me, "you should be at the Academy. I thought Cynric was with you, what are you doing here? And what are you wearing?" She looks at me up and down and her upper lip makes a strange kind of scowl to it. I roll my eyes. I'm in the Fifth World. My powers don't need to be hidden. But wait a minute... did she just say that I should be at the Academy? The Fifth World Academy? Wow.

"I'm sorry," I apologize to this strange young woman, "I don't know who you are but I time traveled to the future. I think I'm in the Fifth World, right?"

An expression of understanding appears on her face, she smiles softly, "oh, I'm so sorry. This must be really strange for you. I should have known," she looks at me up and down again and reveals her beautiful smile, "but anyway, I'm Janine. I'm a good friend of Cynrics, do you want to come in for tea?"

Tea sounds good. I'm actually quite hungry. Back in the present the bell was about to ring for lunch. I rolled my eyes, and then I had to time travel. I stared at the girl, wondering if I should trust her, and nodded my head slowly. She grinned, took my hand in her long and pale fingers and rushed us both through the crowds of people. We arrived at what Janine said was Cynric's home. It looks like a cottage and from the outside you'd expect that the inside would have no plumbing or electricity at all but when you get to the inside, everything is different. It is modern and it has a kitchen with appliances, a sink with a silver tap, and other rooms with plenty of furniture and possessions. I smile softly as I look around. This is really strange. I am in Cynric's home. I've never been in his home or heard of his home. He only ever tells me about the Fifth World and what I need to know about it. That's all. He's never told me about his family, his friends. Nothing.

"I'm sorry," I hear Janine say, I turn around and see her going through Cynric's refrigerator, she then resorts to the cupboards which are as empty as the fridge, "Cynric doesn't find time to stock essentials."

"Why?" I ask curiously. You need food to survive, since when don't you have time for things you need to survive?

Janine shrugged as she went to the kettle and flicked the switch so it would heat up, "he spends most of his time on you."

"On me?"

She shrugged again, turned towards me as if she were hesitating and she lowered her gaze, her smile disappeared for the first time since I met her, "he's always going back to the
Average Human World to watch over you."

Oh. I leaned against a wall uncomfortably. I wonder when I'll leave this future... when I'll go back to the present. Or if I'll go back to the present soon. "So," I swallowed, "who are you to Cynric?"

The kettle began to scream. I can hear the hot water boiling.

Janine grinned, "we've been friends for a long time. He's quite fond of me." I felt myself cringe. Fond of her? How fond of her?

There was a noise of a door opening. Janine and I both turned our heads to see Cynric entering his home, he looked at Janine and then looked at me, a surprised expression on his face.

He then smiled, "when are you from?"