Don't Let This Memory Fade Away

“Come on Farah, this is going to be fun!” said Jeslynn as she pulled me inside the building. “You’ve got to trust me. My uncle’s explained it all to me.”

“You mean you listened in on his business call and held the information that /you are not supposed to know about/, against him.”

“Don’t be a wise ass. The point is he agreed to let us do this and we shouldn’t pass this opportunity up. It’s unreal.”

“I don’t know…” I said, apprehensive. Jeslynn didn’t care; she kept pulling me up the elegant marble steps of the building. Once we were inside, I felt the overwhelming urge to run away even more than before.

“Relax, seriously. It’s probably not even going to work.”

/But what if it does/ I thought to myself.

We were greeted and escorted into a dimly lit room with one table in the middle. We were instructed to fill out a few forms which requested general information about ourselves, then were shut and locked in the room. I took a look around, uncomfortable with my surroundings. On the table, there were some wires and a box with multiple colored buttons, and one red knob.

/Is that it?/

I took the seat across from Jeslynn and attempted to fill out the papers with the little space left on the table. I heard the door unlock and peered up anxiously. A woman who looked to be in her mid-30s had entered the room. She was tall and thin, with a round face and delicate features. I was immediately envious of her looks, because in all honesty, she was stunning. I shifted my eyes back to my paperwork, not wanting to stare.

“Looking for some adventure girls?”

“Yes.” replied Jeslynn, and I could hear the eagerness in her voice.

I stayed silent. What if this actually worked?

“Alright, so which one of you would like to go first?” the woman asked as she walked over to the machine and picked up the wires. I looked at Jeslynn to see a worried look plastered on her face.

“She would.” She said and shot her head down, pretending to become very interested in the paperwork in front of her. I glared, knowing she would feel the anger radiating from me.

“You wanted to do this, not me.” I whispered through gritted teeth.

“Well, I think you should go first. I just think you should.”

I huffed a sigh, knowing that I might as well give in now. There was never any getting your way with Jeslynn. It was always her way or no way.

“Well?” The woman asked, looking impatient.

“Fine.” I muttered, pushing myself off the chair. “Let’s just do this.”

“You’re going to need to take a seat again Miss…” Her voice trailed. I handed her my finished paperwork and crossed my arms. “Ah, Miss McDonald. Sit down, please, and I’ll explain the procedure.” I flopped down into the seat and looked up, signaling for her to continue.

“I’m going to hook these wires up to you after I’m done explaining. One will go on your right temple, one on your left temple. Another one will go over your heart, one on each shoulder, the hands, the knees, and the feet. You’re going to tell me where and what time you would like to go. Please be as specific as possible. You will be in that location for a good period of time, so you will be living with someone that knows about the company and what we do that lives at your destination point. When you’re time traveling, a year to you is an hour to us, so we’ll have you back here in two or three hours, or two or three years to you. But, I have to warn you, you may not be able to get back.”

I gulped. May not be able to get back? This just keeps getting better and better.

“I want to go to Baltimore, Maryland, The year 2003. I want to be living somewhere near one of the members of All Time Low and I want to be able to attend Dulaney High School. And make sure it’s the end of their summer vacation and I’ll start the sophomore year there.”

I looked at Jeslynn to see that she was smirking. She knew I would choose to go there, to the place where my heroes were still national nobodies.

“Alright,” said the woman, turning back to the machine. I watched as she pushed buttons and turned knobs. “Ready?” She asked.

I looked at Jeslynn, and she came over and hugged me. “Love you, I’ll miss you.”

“Love you too, and I’ll miss you. See you when you get back! Get it girl!”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. Typical Jess.

The woman began to put the wires on me. When she was done, she turned back to the machine. She looked at me.

“As soon as I turn this knob, you will be going to your destination.”

My heart began to race, and I nodded my head.

“3… 2… 1…”

The knob had been turned.

I closed my eyes tight and didn’t move. It felt as though I had pins and needles from head to toe. I wanted it to be over. I was so scared, and then, almost as soon as it had begun, it stopped.

I opened my eyes to find myself sitting in a room, much like my own back home. Light blue walls, a dresser, a desk (this one yet to be a victim of my destruction), but instead of my white door there was an oak one. Instead of my wooden bed frame that I hated oh-so much, the bed had no frame, and the bed was much bigger than my own.

There was a knock on the door.

“Yes…?” I answered hesitantly. The door opened, and there stood a woman.

“Welcome to Lutherville-Timonium, Baltimore, Maryland. Year 2003.” She said with a flawless smile plastered across her face.

“Oh… oh my…”