Copyright © 2026 by Julien Gregg
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The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Part One:
1985
ONE
I was in bed. I was thankful that I could at least crawl home from the park. My head hurt, but only in one spot on the back of my head like I'd hit something. It was probably the statue as I fell. Then I remembered the aurora, the lightening, and the way the world had turned bright white. I'd been struck by lightning! Well, that meant that I was lucky. There didn't seem to be any damage. I could feel my entire body, and everything was where it was supposed to be. I wasn't hurt by the lightning. I'm sure it hurt like hell when it struck me, but I was fine now. Other than the headache, nothing else seemed to be wrong with me. That didn't compute. I'd been dead drunk last night. Shouldn't I have felt the hangover by now?
"Why isn't he waking up?" said the voice of my mother. At first I was shocked and a little angry to find that she was in my apartment. Then the sound of her voice gave me pause. She sounded younger. Her voice was higher pitched than I remembered. That's what made me open my eyes. I looked at her and nearly passed out from shock again. She was younger. Her hair was blond there was no grey in it. She wore a bit too much makeup, but this was my mother after the fountain of youth.
"There, see?" said a male voice. It wasn't Jason's. I'd expected him to be there.
I turned and looked and beheld an impossible sight. It was my pediatrician. He had died when I was sixteen. How could he be here? I looked around and saw that I was in the hospital. Maybe the lightning had done damage after all. I just looked at everything from the dropped ceiling with the square white tiles, the fluorescent lights, the beige walls, and the grey and red spotted tile on the floor. My mother was standing beside my bed, and the doctor was standing at the pull down desk against the wall. He was writing in my chart. I sighed as I looked at him. I couldn't decide if I was insane or dreaming. Maybe I was in a coma and this was the coma dream. Why my mother and dead doctor would be in the dream were unknown to me. I wouldn't have dreamt about either of them.
"Killian, are you all right?" my mother asked.
"I'm fine," I said, marveling at the sound of my own voice. I sounded younger, too. I sounded like a child. What the Hell was going on?
"You scared me, Kid," she said, smiling at me. "The lightning forked right out of the sky like it was coming for you."
"It sure seemed that way," I said. "How long have I been here?"
"Six hours," she she said. "It's still your birthday."
"I'm twelve today," I said. She nodded.
"Kevin," I said quickly.
"He's fine," she said. "The lightning didn't get him."
"Okay," I said, laying back. "Okay."
So this was the dream. I was dreaming him alive again. That meant that Richard was alive again, too. If I was truly twelve years old then April wasn't hurt, Kevin and Richard were alive, and I was insane. I wasn't even going to entertain the idea that my wish had finally been granted. I had wished on every birthday cake, every first star I saw, and every wishing well to go back to this time to save us from the accident and get Hank and my mother out of our lives. If that had been granted, then I had work to do. I had to test it though. I just didn't know how.
"I want to keep him over night just to make sure that the lightning did no damage that we can see," said Dr. Carlson.
"Okay, but can I let the kids in here to see him?" she asked. "They're scared to death that he's really hurt."
"I don't see how it could be a problem," he said. "Just don't let them excite him too much."
They were coming in the room? Oh Jesus what a dream. This was cruel if it was a dream. If my wish had been granted then this was normal. I didn't know what to think. I hadn't been struck by lightning at twelve. I'd been struck by lightning at forty.
She went out into the hall and returned moments later with my brothers and sister. There they were. Kevin looked so much like me. The same shaggy blond hair, the green eyes, and even the little up turn to the left eyebrow as mine. He was truly identical to me. Richard was walking! His blond hair was cut short and parted to the left. His green eyes were intense, and his jaw was set. I realized that this was because of our mother. I didn't know that he had been this way with her. I had assumed that, like April he had believed that Mom didn't know what Hank was doing to us.
"Kills," he said. "You scared me man."
"I'm fine Rich," I said. "The lightning didn't scramble my brain or anything. I've got a nasty bump on the back of my head from hitting the fountain when I fell down."
"Yeah," he said as Kevin came right up to the bed and took my right hand in his.
"I was scared," he said. Oh, Jesus, his voice! I remember.
"I'm okay, Kev," I said. "Trust me."
"I do," he said. "When you commin' home?"
"Tomorrow," I said. "Doctor just wants to be sure."
"I don't like being in that house without you," he said.
"I know exactly how you feel," I said. "I'll be home with you tomorrow."
"Okay," he said.
"That's enough," my mother said. "It's getting late, and you all need to be in bed."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Kevin. He let go of my hand reluctantly. "Killian, I'll be back tomorrow."
"Okay," I said. "Goodnight guys."
"Night, Kills," said April.
"Later, Killian," Richard said.
Kevin just waved. I nearly started crying. It was so perfect that it was cruel. I remembered them just the way the were right then. We were scared of Hank but so happy to be together. Richard was never a mean older brother. He was patient and caring with us. He loved April like crazy, but he got down in the dirt and played with me and Kevin all of the time, too. This was really something. If I was back in time, then I'd save us from the accident. I was sure that if I told Richard the truth he'd keep us away from the accident. I just had to know if I was really back in time. If I wasn't I was going to be so crushed when I really woke up and they were dead.
"Where's your mother?" Doctor Carlson asked as he came back into the room.
"She left with my siblings," I said. "Said she'd be back tomorrow."
"She left you alone?" he asked, looking shocked.
"She did," I said. "It's all right. She's not really a hands on type of mother anyway."
"Killian, I'd like to talk to you about something," he said as he sat in the chair beside my bed. "I've treated you and your siblings for broken bones and other injuries throughout the years. Tell me, is something bad happening at your house?"
"Like what?" I asked, not wanting him to be the one I talked to about it. Mom and Hank could lie their way out of anything I said. Then I'd be in more trouble.
"If you don't know what I'm talking about then what I suspect isn't happening," he said as he stood up. "I'll leave you to sleep. I added pain medicine to your IV. Just push the button."
"Thank you, Doctor Carlson," I said.
"You're welcome, Killian," he said with a smile. "Get some sleep."
He left the room and I was alone. I pushed the button and was asleep almost instantly. This would be the test. If I woke up in this time then I'd be more inclined to believe that my wish had been granted. I dreamt about being back in this time and really doing what I set out to do. I saved us from the accident and got Hank and my mother out of our lives. We were living with someone I couldn't see in the dream, but we were happy. That was great. If I could do that then I'd have done what I wanted to come back here to do.
I was woken up at five in the morning for vitals. I stretched and looked around. I was still in the past. Maybe I was really here. I hoped I was. I fell back to sleep again after that thought. If I woke up in the present again I'd be so upset. However, when my mother came in and kissed the top of my head I woke up again. I was still in nineteen eighty-five. She brought me my clothes and told me that Doctor Carlson was on his way to release me. I got dressed. She turned her back on me while I did it. Then I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at where the IV had been in my arm. It was gone now. They must have done that when they took my vitals.
"How was your night?" Mom asked me.
"It was boring, but I slept a lot," I said.
"Yeah, he put something in your IV," she said. "Lucky little guy."
"Where are my brothers and sister?" I asked.
"At Mom's," she said. "Your grandfather isn't doing so hot. He doesn't remember hardly anyone now."
That was odd. In my original timeline he'd been with it and not in the throws of dementia when we went to live with them. That event hadn't come to pass and he was already in the throws. It made no sense. had it happened early because I came back? I didn't think that was it. Something was at play there though. I just looked at my mother like I didn't understand. She explained that Grandpa had dementia and he wasn't doing so hot. I nodded.
Then Doctor Carlson was in the room. He gave my mother a prescription for pain medicine, went over care instructions and told her I was to rest for the next few days. He said I didn't have a concussion, but the bump on my head had been serious enough to make me lose consciousness. She said I would rest. I wasn't so sure. Then she was walking with me to the car. Here was Hank. All six feet of him. He was dark haired with blue eyes that always looked mean. He had a pot belly, because he was a lazy fuck. He hadn't gotten into shape until after my mother had left him in the original timeline. We got into the beat up Buick. I got in the back seat. I was in the car that would kill my brother, hurt my sister, and be the cause for my other brother's death years later. It felt surreal.
"He's got a bump on the back of his head," she said. "We have to go to the drug store so I can fill his pain meds."
"Okay," Hank said. "What about the lightning?"
"It didn't do any damage," she said.
"Tough little fucker isn't he?" Hank said with a chuckle.
"He seems to be," she said. "The doctor says he's to rest for a few days. The bump on his head isn't a concussion, but it was serious enough to knock him out."
"Well then he'll rest," Hank said.
I tuned them out after that. I didn't care what they talked about on the drive to the house of my nightmares. I was looking forward to seeing Kevin and Richard again. But I had a plan. If I was successful in getting Hank and Mom out of our lives, they might split us up and put us in foster homes. Kevin and I could study and be prepared to go to a boarding school if I played it right. I just had to convince Kevin. We stopped at Hopkins' Drugs and Sundries. Mom went in and filled my prescription. Then we drove to the house of my nightmares.
I had watched the scenery go by on the drive. Janus looked the same. Maybe it was a bit cleaner in this time than my own time, but it didn't look all that different. Hopkins' wasn't there anymore. It was a Thrift Rite in the future. That didn't matter much to me. I wasn't back here to keep the city the same for thirty years. I was back here to save my siblings and get rid of my parents. That was enough work for a twelve year old to accomplish.
We went into the house and I put on my pee jays and climbed into bed. Mom got me a glass of water and a pill. I took that and was asleep in twenty minutes while she went to Grandma's to get my siblings. They'd be here when I woke up. I slept until dinner time. She sent Kevin in to wake me up for dinner. I got up and put on my robe. Hank insisted that we wear a robe if we were in pee jays. I went to the table and sat down. Mom put a plate with a pork chop, mashed potatoes, and corn on the table in front of me. I cut my pork chop into bite sized pieces. It wasn't small. She watched me to do it and then chuckled.
"Well, you cut your own pork chop," she said. "You usually have me do that for you and Kevin."
Kevin cut his pork chop, imitating what I had done. She nodded at this. Probably because it was one less thing she had to do for us. We ate in silence after that. Hank didn't allow talking. My glass of milk was in front of my plate. We weren't allowed to drink anything but milk with meals. I drank some and then went back to eating. I was done before they were, but I knew I had to sit at the table until everyone was done. I downed my milk and sat back.
Mom gave me another pill when dinner was over. I took it and went back to bed. Kevin came with me. He sat on the bed until I fell asleep. Then I don't know what he did. I woke up in the morning, and Hank told me to get my lazy ass out of bed. I stupidly told him I was supposed to rest. He backhanded me and split my lip. He told me to get the fuck up. Then he left. A second later I heard the front door. I knew where he was going. I got out of bed and got dressed in regular clothes. I held an old t-shirt to my lip. My mother stopped me as I came out of my room.
"What are you doing out of bed?" she asked.
"Hank told me I'd rested enough," I said.
"What happened to your lip?" she asked. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
"No," I said. "I got dizzy and fell into the nightstand."
"All right," she said. "Let's go put something on that lip."
I'd just set ripples in the pool of time with that one. Originally, I had said yes and told her what Hank had done. That had set her to look for him, and she found him in bed with that woman. This time I said no, and she wasn't leaving the house. Somewhere a butterfly was flapping its wings, and the ripple in time was set adrift. I followed her into the kitchen. She put some liquid on my lip. It quit hurting almost instantly. I couldn't believe that she used the good stuff on me. Wonders never cease.
I took Kevin and April to the Junior High School. It was open all summer. The library was open for kids to read books, there was a playground monitor, and meals. Kevin and I went to the library. April played on the playground. I got the text books for our coming year of school and told Kevin to study. It was as simple as that. We studied the books and quizzed each other about the material. Then we moved to another subject. We'd gotten through three of them by the time April came for us for lunch. Then we were back in the library and we got all of the books for the coming year done. We knew the material. Tomorrow we would move on to the year after.
At three o'clock we took April and went home. Hank wasn't there so we had a good time. Richard was watching us. I sat with Kevin in the tree house. He asked about the studying and I told him that if I told on Hank and got him into trouble they'd likely take us away from our mother, too. We were studying so we'd be smart enough for boarding school. It was the only way I could think of to keep us together. He asked about Richard and April. I told him that I couldn't keep all four of us together and then told him that they'd split us up because no one wants four children to foster. He said that sucked, but he agreed to study and learn as much as he could.
At home Hank was home now. We played in our room. Well, Kevin played. I just sat there and thought about what to do to get Hank and Mom out of our lives. I had to do it soon. I couldn't stay in this house much longer. Mom came home and we had dinner. Tonight it was sloppy joe's. I got in trouble for making a mess with mine all of the time. So I put the meat on one slice of bread and folded it over. Kevin did the same. Mom watched us but she didn't say anything. We had two apiece. There were fries and milk with it. I ate my fries with my sandwiches. Then I drank my milk and sat back. I had to wait for everyone to be done before I left the table.
When we went to bed Mom asked me if I needed a pill. I told her I didn't. I lay there with Kevin and stayed quiet. One word and Hank would be on us. The next morning we had cereal and toast with milk. Then we went to the school with April. She played on the playground and I saw that one of the kids on the playground was Jesse Addon. I smiled at this. Then we were in the library and studying again. I noticed today that the teacher on duty was none other than Jason Osgood. He had to have been there yesterday, but I had paid no attention. He smiled at us. We smiled back. Then we got down to studying. We used examples for the math and did the equations lined up at the end of the chapter. There were four. We did that for the whole book. Then we moved on to Science. Of course we weren't getting the experiments, but we knew the theory. We went to lunch after that.
When we came back we got History and English. We conjugated verbs, and wrote prepositional phrases. We read chapters and answered questions at the end of each chapter. We wrote reports and asked Mr. Osgood to read them. He told us that they were very well written. He told us that he'd have given us an A on both. He asked why we were studying. I told him to keep us out of the house. He laughed at that. We left for the day after putting all of the books away.
Today, Mom was home. She took us to Grandmas so we could spend time with Grandpa. I held his hand. He seemed to like that. Grandma and Mom sat in the kitchen and talked about God knows what. Then we went home and Mom started on dinner. She told us Hank wouldn't be home for dinner. He was working late today. I knew what that meant. Was she blind or stupid? At any rate we ate our corn dogs and macaroni and cheese. We drank our milk. Then we were in the tree house.
"What are you going to do about Hank?" Kevin asked.
"I'm not sure yet," I said. "I'm thinking on it. I will get rid of them, though. We won't be here much longer."
"Do you think we're ready for the boarding school?" he asked.
"Not yet," I said. "We need another year of studying."
"We can do that tomorrow," he said.
"We sure can," I said with a smile. "Let's get down and see what April is doing."
She was coloring. So we got coloring books and colored right beside her. She was happy to spend time with us. We colored until it was time to shower and get ready for bed. Then we were in bed, and Hank was home. He was bitching about work. Maybe he really had to work late. I was in bed and halfway asleep when I saw him in the doorway. He looked at the three of us, but said nothing. Then he walked away. I wondered what that was about. I didn't like it. I knew that much.
The next morning he stared at me and Kevin all through breakfast. We got the hell out of there. We took April and went to the school. We did the next year's math and science before lunch. Then we did Spanish and French after lunch. We listened to audio tapes of classes, people speaking the language. Then we talked to each other in both languages. Jason Osgood watched us with open-mouthed shock. When we left that day he was scratching his head.
We didn't get to go back to the school the next morning. Hank wanted the lawn cleared so Richard could mow the grass. We were picking up sticks and twigs, toys and broken things all over the yard. Then Kevin accidentally stepped on Mom's flowers, and Hank was on him. He grabbed his arm and started to shake him. Richard and I stopped what we were doing to watch. Then suddenly I knew that today was the day. I ran over and shoved Hank. He let go of Kevin and kind of teetered there. I grabbed Kevin's hand and we took off running. I was running to the school because I knew that I was safe there. Hank was running after us, but he wasn't in shape, and he'd never catch us in time.
"Get your asses back here," he screamed at us. "I'm going to beat your asses big time."
"We're going to tell on you," I screamed and kept running. We made it to the school, barrelled through the front doors, down the hall to the library and through the library doors. Jason Osgood was there with another man that I didn't know. He was standing now, probably to tell us off for running, but Hank came crashing through the doors at that moment. Hank grabbed me by both arms and held me in place. Jason and the man he was talking with came closer.
"You can't hurt me here," I said.
He punched me dead in the face. I fell to the floor. Blood exploded from my nose. I was in agony. Then, miraculously the man that Jason Osgood had been talking to produced handcuffs and arrested Hank for Child Abuse. Jason knelt in front of me and pressed a napkin to my nose. It hurt like crazy. "Killian, I'm sorry," he said.
"Don't let him hut us anymore," I said to him through blood and tears. His eyes softened.
"I'm going to have to take you to the hospital," he said. "I'll call your mother. Is she at work or at home?"
"She's at home," I said.
"Come on," he said and helped me to stand. Kevin was looking at me in fear. He was afraid for me.
Jason drove us to the hospital asking questions the whole way there. Kevin told him everything that Hank had ever done to any of us. Jason winced with each new revelation. He told us that he knew, several knew that something was going on in our house, but no one wanted to get involved. I told him that I was sorry, but I felt safer at the school. That's why I ran there. He told me I was supposed to feel safer at school and that I did nothing wrong.
At the hospital, Jason told the doctor that my stepfather had punched me in the face at the school library. He'd been arrested by the school liaison officer. The doctor took the napkin off my nose and cursed. He told the nurse to numb it. The doctor was younger than I'd expected. He had short light brown hair and kind blue eyes. He sucked in a breath when the young looking blond haired nurse put a needle in first one side of my nose and then the other. He waited a few minutes and then pushed my nose back into position. He used gauze and tape to tape it up. It had quit bleeding finally. My mother walked in at that moment.
"Jesus, my baby," she said, and I nearly puked. "What happened?"
"Your husband punch him in the face, blacked his eyes and broke his nose," the doctor said heatedly. Mom stepped back at the heat in his voice. "We've called Social Services. Don't try to take anyone out of the hospital."
"You called Social Services?" my mother squeaked.
"Of course we did," the doctor spat. "Killian was hurt by a member of your household. That mandates us to call the hotline. Someone from Social Services will be here soon. You can talk to them."
"Fine," she said. She was clearly pissed off.
"Killian, I'm going to write you a prescription for the pain," he said. "I'm sorry that this happened to you, and I hope that nothing like this ever happens to you again."
"Thank you," I said. Though it came out sounding strange both my voice and diction were hampered by the tape and gauze.
"I'm going to have the nurse give you a shot for pain now," he said.
"Okay," I said.
The blond haired nurse was really pretty. I hadn't noticed before because of the huge needles she had in her hands. She had green eyes like ours, and she wore no makeup. She didn't need it. Some people have natural beauty, and she had it. She apologized for putting needles in my nose when it was already hurt. I tried to smile at her. She smiled. Then she gave me a shot in my hip. About ten minutes later I couldn't even feel my nose. I was flying high.
Then a shorter woman with very dark, almost black hair and big blue eyes came into the room. She wore a black skirt and blazer with a pink shirt underneath. On her feet were black heals. She had a clipboard in her hands. "I'm Jane Prescott from Social Services," she said. "Are you Killian Flynn?"
"I am," I said.
"I'm told your stepfather punched you in the face at the school library," she said. "Tell me, was this the first time he's done something like it?"
I told her everything he'd ever done to me. I told her everything he'd done to my siblings. I left nothing out. I told her about the fear that we had of Hank. I told her that my mother was no better. She would tell Hank when we stepped out of line and let him do his thing. She always left before he did anything, so she could say she didn't know what was going on. I knew that she knew exactly what her husband was doing to us. I told Jane Prescott all of that. My mother was looking at me in anger. I didn't care.
"I've interviewed your other three children, Mrs. Walsh," said Jane. "They told virtually the same story as Killian. Now, your mother has been called to temporarily take the children while we investigate your home. Understand that while the children are in her care you are not to contact or try to visit your mother. You are to have no contact with the children at all. Momentarily, police officers will take Richard Flynn to your house to get clothes for the children for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?"
"I understand," she said. "Where is my husband?"
"He's lodged in the Janus County Jail," Jane said. "As it is Friday and after hours, your husband will remain in jail until Monday before a bail hearing can commence."
"Fine," she said.
"You may leave now," Jane said. "Do not try to talk to your children or you'll be arrested."
"Fine," she said and left. I sighed.
Grandma arrived and Richard left with two policeman to get clothes for all of us. Grandma took one look at my face and said a word I'd never heard her say before. She collected us and we went to her house. Richard arrived just after we did. She put us in the middle bedroom. There was a king-sized bed in there. She said she was sorry but until she cleared out the front bedroom, Kevin, Richard, and I would have to share the bed. She put April in the second bed. Richard told her it was fine.
"I hope Hank rots in jail for what he's done," she said to us when we'd put our clothes away. "That man was never what we wanted for your mother. We didn't like Ryan but at least he never hit any of you. Hank is another matter. I've kept my mouth shut because Donna denied it. But I knew. God knows I knew, and I wasn't in a position to do anything about it. You kids can watch television down stairs. You know about the rec room. I'll have dinner on the table in a little bit."
Over dinner she asked us each what Hank had done to us. Most of what we said lined up with injuries she'd seen on us that Mom had tried to explain away. Some she hadn't known about. She looked so angry when Kevin and I talked about the belt and the welts he left on our butts but insisted that we go to school. Richard told her all about everything too. April cried. Grandma hugged her. She looked at my face and said that was the last time that man was coming near us if it was the last thing she did.
It was a difficult conversation. We'd been keeping silent for so long that telling the truth seemed odd. Grandma cleared the table and did the dishes while we went downstairs. April went to play with her friend next door. I told Kevin and Richard about myself. I told them everything about time travel and how it happened. They needed proof. I told them to watch the news for any special reports on Monday about a plane crash in Japan. I told them I couldn't remember which airline but five hundred twenty people would die. They looked at me like I was crazy.
"What?" I asked. "I remember the darker stuff. You have to remember what I told you my life was like at that time. It was a dark stain on my past."
"You really had to live with Ryan?" Richard asked.
"For five years," I said. "It was how I knew he'd not take us from Social Services."
"All right," he said. "I'll watch for the special report on Monday. I don't want to believe you, but I can solve your problem with the accident. We're not going to the mall that night. We're going to the lock in at the Family Fun Center. We'll be there from seven to seven."
"That'll do it," I said. "Thanks, Richard."
"I didn't do anything but tell you I'd take you all to the lock in," he said.
We did our own thing all weekend. Kevin and I went to the park where they had activities. We joined them. The first was planter boxes that went in windows. We made two apiece. Grandma had four windows in front of her house. We painted them white and took them home when the activity was over and they were dry. Grandma was thrilled with the boxes. She asked Richard to tack them to the windows outside and she went off to buy soil and flowers to put in them. She came back and planted tulips in them.
On Sunday morning we went to church with Grandma. She had friends there and introduced us to them all. They commented on how much we looked alike. Grandma said we looked like our dad. That made the ladies laugh. They asked us about school, I told them that for me and Kevin that was undecided. We were very intelligent and they were talking about prep schools. They thought that was amazing. Richard told them that he'd be a junior in high school in the fall. April was going into the sixth grade at Janus Junior High School. The school started at sixth grade and went to eighth grade. Once you were in ninth grade you were at the high school.
Grandma got slips for lotteries, and I remembered that this Wednesday was the drawing that Hank had won. I wrote the numbers down and gave them to her. She thought it was cute, but she filled out one of her slips with the numbers. I'd made so many changes to the timeline that this one was barely a change. I was sure that drastic changes were going to occur in the not so distant future because of all of the things I was changing. I didn't care, though. I was keeping my siblings alive and unhurt.
On Monday Richard and Kevin were present when the special news report came in about the plane crash. The plain was from Japan Airlines, and it crashed in Ueno, Japan, killing five hundred twenty people. They looked at me like they'd never seen me before. Richard's mouth was hanging open. I just looked at them. They had their proof. They looked from the television to me and back. I was just glad that April was with her friends outside. I waited for them to say something.
"It's all true," Richard said. "You really came back in time. Your life was really what you said it was. I'll keep us from the accident. I won't let it happen this time."
"Losing Kevin was like losing a part of myself," I said. "You died years later, but it was the accident that put you in that path. Richard I lost both of you, and I was alone until I turned eighteen and could reconnect with April. We were all we had for so long."
"I won't let it happen," Richard said. "Believe me, Killian. I won't let it happen."
"Those numbers you gave Grandma," Kevin said.
"They were the numbers that Hank won forty million dollars on," I said. They both had open mouths now.
"Why did you do that?" Richard asked.
"How did you remember the numbers?" Kevin asked.
"Those numbers are ingrained in my mind because it was like a slap in the face literally," I said. "I did it because Grandma deserves it. She took in the four of us. She can win the lottery."
"Killian," Richard said. "Wow."
"I know," I said. "I wanted her to have the money instead of Hank."
"I'm guessing," he said.
"What else are you changing?" he asked.
"Not much else to change," I said. "Keep us from the accident, and go to the prep school. I'm done after that. I'm sure that whatever the two of us do at the prep school will cause further change. Time travel is a lot."
"It sounds it," he said. "But you did it. You got Hank and Mom out of our lives. I'm in awe of you for that. The courage it took to get him to chase you to the school. You, who got the most of his abuse all of the time."
"I did it for us," I said. "I couldn't let him go on beating us."
"But you said Mom divorced him when she caught him cheating," Kevin said.
"She didn't catch him cheating because when she asked me if there was anything I wanted to tell her after Hank split my lip when I got out of the hospital I said no instead of yes like I did in my original timeline. That set her to find him. She found him with that woman. This time I said no and she didn't go looking for him. She still doesn't know about that woman."
"Wow," Richard said again.
"It's a lot, isn't it?" I asked.
"Yes," he said. "But I get it. I know why you did what you did. If we'd have been living with Grandma after that, Mom would have sent us to the mall. It's her answer for everything. Go to the mall."
"Do you think of me differently?" I asked.
"Not really," Richard said. "Sure I get how you're so smart, but so is Kevin. It isn't like you left your twin behind in the intelligence bracket. I don't see you differently because even if you are from the future you're still twelve years old."
"Believe me, I know it," I said. "You have no idea how hard it was to go back to being told what to do and having to ask permission for this and that."
"I can imagine," he said. "I can't imagine what it was like for you to come back to living with Mom and Hank after all that you'd been through the first time."
"I knew I had to, so I could keep us from the accident," I said.
"Well, hats off to you," Richard said.
"What about you, Kev?" I asked.
"I don't think any different of you than I always did," Kevin said. "You're the other part of me."
"Thank you both," I said. "It means a lot that you accept me."
"Of course we do," Richard said. "You're still my little brother."
"You're still the other part of me," Kevin said.
Wednesday came quicker than I thought it would. Grandma sat in front of the television to watch as the numbers were chosen. She got more and more excited. She squealed when the final number was called. She stood up, and grabbed her chest. I thought I might have given her a heart attack. Then she started to laugh. She hugged me and told me that they were my numbers. I smiled at her. She told Tawny the night nurse that someone would have to sit with Grandpa because she was going to the lottery office in Springfield. Tawny laughed and said that someone would be here.
Grandma made brownies because she was so happy. We each got two with milk. At least this time it was chocolate milk. We were happy. April was grinning to beat the band. I felt a little guilty for not telling her that I was from the future, but she was happy to be here, and she didn't need to worry about the accident that was still pending. Richard may have said we were going to the Family Fun Center instead of the mall, but nature loves to throw monkeys in wrenches all of the time. Anything could happen.
Grandma told us two days later that Social Services had called a hearing before the director to talk about us. That made me nervous. She said she was hiring a house keeper to help her during the day. She started to interview them the next day and hired a woman named Mary Willing. She was a plump woman with dark hair and brown eyes. She told us that she had two children our age. She said that her oldest, Victor, was Richard's age and her youngest, Hector was our age. We admitted that we knew Hector. He just didn't have anything to do with us.
"He's not mean to you or anything is he?" she asked.
"No," I said. "No one is mean to us at school. He just has his friends, and we're not among the throng."
"All right," she said. "We're all going to get to know each other very well in the near future. I start Monday."
"Welcome aboard," I told her with a smile.
We started to hear more about the Family Fun Center's lock in. It was a charity drive, and Richard told Grandma that he wanted to donate. She asked about the donation. He said it was twenty per person for the lock in and you could donate whatever you wanted. She told him she'd send us with a thousand dollars. He smiled at that. The charity was for underprivileged kids in Janus County. I was all for it. It seemed we were really going to the Family Fun Center. I was happy about that. God knew how happy I was about that.
I sat and thought about all of the changes that I had made to the timeline. I'd said no instead of yes for change one, then I'd got Hank to chase me to the school where he was arrested for punching me and was now facing Criminal Assault of Child. That carried thirty years in prison. Hank was taken care of for change two. I'd given the lottery numbers to my grandmother for change three. Now we were going to the family fun center for change four. This was the big change. This was what I'd come back in time to do.
The hearing was terrifying. Ryan Flynn walked into the room, looked at his four children and shook his head. He sat at the table next to my mother, and they didn't speak. She hated Ryan. Ryan hated her. Well, at least he was right about one thing. She deserved hatred. The judge was the head of Social Services. This wasn't a court of law. He asked my mother if she had in fact bailed Hank out of jail. She said she had and said he was her husband. He told her he was terminating her rights to her children. She sighed. He talked to Ryan.
"Your children are in need of you, Mr. Flynn," he said. "What do you have to say about this?"
"You can give those goddam kids back to their mother," he spat. "I never wanted children. That was Donna's idea. She had them, she can keep them."
"We'll be terminating your rights to your children, too," he said. "You'll no longer have to pay child support."
"What?" my mother gasped. "The judge said he had to pay."
"But as you no longer have rights to your children, you wouldn't get the money anyway," said the director. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair and dark eyes. They looked angry as he looked at my parents. "Ryan's rights are being terminated as well. He doesn't need to pay child support for children he has no rights to."
"I don't have to pay no more?" Ryan asked.
"No you don't," said the director. "Both of you see my secretary for papers to sign. Good day to you both."
They got up and left the room. Mom was mad, but Ryan was thrilled. The director talked to my grandmother. He wanted to know if she could keep us. He said that the state would pay her a monthly check to reimburse her for the money she spent on us. She told him that she'd started trust funds for each of us. She didn't need compensation. She could keep us. She said she'd hired a house keeper, and that we were no problem. The director told her that she'd see a judge soon who would turn her guardianship to custody. We left the office after that. My mother and Ryan were gone.
Grandma signed the guardianship paper and got her court date. Then we left. Richard asked if he could have a barbecue to celebrate the fact that we were staying with Grandma. She said that he not only could, she would go and buy all of the food. We'd have it Saturday. She asked who we were inviting. I said Jason Osgood. Richard said his girlfriend. Kevin said Jesse Addon for April. Grandma thought that was sweet. She said she'd get steaks and hamburgers. She'd make the sides. We were happy. We went to the school library for the rest of the day. April was on the playground with Jesse Addon.
The school was two stories tall with classes on the first and second floors. The gym, the main office, the dean's office, the library, and the cafeteria were all on the first floor. There were math classes and language classes on the first floor. Science and History were on the second floor. The school was marble floored with grey and red speckles in the marble. The stairs to the second floor were marble, and the walls were that tired light blue that had faded over time and looked grey. The library had carpet on the floor that was blue. The walls were paneled with horizontal wood slats. The ceiling was white, and the tables were all vanilla colored wood tables that were varnished every year. The stacks took up most of the library. The desk that Jason sat at was behind the counter where the librarian was stationed most of the time. Students worked in the library to replace books and such. Every year two to three students got the library at various hours.
"How was the hearing?" Jason asked when we came in.
"We stay with Grandma," I said. "She's going to court to get custody instead of guardianship."
"Good," he said. "That's great."
"Yes, we're happy," said Kevin.
"Where were we?" I asked him.
"Tenth grade chemistry," he said.
"Right," I said. "You know without the lab time, we can't fully appreciate chemistry."
"Well we'll know the book by the time we get there," he said. I laughed.
We got down to it. Jason paid a lot more attention to us that day. We were done with the chemistry book by lunch. We moved on to Spanish. Jason had audio tapes of the language classes. We listened to them and spoke spanish to each other. Then we moved on to French. We did the same thing. Jason was amazed. Finally we went to history. We read about the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and many other things. We answered the questions at the back of each chapter. Then we were done with that when it was time to go home. Tenth grade was complete. Tomorrow we'd start on eleventh. Jason told us to have a good day.
We collected April and went home. Richard decided to test us on what he knew from school. We sat and filled out his test and then we went out to throw the ball back and forth while he graded them. He came out a little bit later and told us that we'd gotten a hundred percent of the questions right. He worried that we were studying too far. He said that our brains might balk at the information. I laughed and told him that he'd be amazed at what the human brain could comprehend and store.
The next day we moved on to eleventh grade. We started with Spanish 3 and then moved on to French 3. Then we studied English Literature. We checked out the books that were required for the course and read them as if we were actually in the class. I learned that I could speed read if I set my mind to it. I taught Kevin to do the same. We wrote reports on the books and talked about what the books meant to us. Jason graded them the next day. But we moved on the Trigonometry. We were really doing good with it, too. I told Kevin that this was my favorite mathematical text. He just shook his head. We studied Advanced Chemistry and read the book from cover to cover. Then we wrote reports on what we'd read. Jason asked us to because he wanted to see how much retention we were getting from speed reading.
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