This is another reason time travel is so dangerous, Oberi said.If you change too much, your mind can’t make sense of what is and isn’t real. It can drive you mad.
“What about you?” I asked. “You seem fine, and you remembered everything before we did.”
I told you, I’m a transdimensional being. I’m used to this kind of thing. Your mortal brain is not designed for such tasks.
“We must be able to use it for something, or Kallie wouldn’t have this power,” I said.
She has to utilize it properly. What you’re trying to do is an abuse of her magic.
I turned to Kallie. “Oberi says you’re abusing your power.”
“I certainly have a lot to learn. Oberi’s right. We’ve got to put things back the way they were. It’s our only option.”
“But Thaddeus will still die.” My throat closed up.
“I know it’s a tough decision, but what’s the alternative?” Kallie pressed. “A bunch of other people die?Marcusdies? In every scenario, someone dies. It’s not a choice I want to make, but an impossible decision like this comes down to the fact that it’s clear we can’t change things here. So we’re going to put things back the way they were, to avoid them being even worse.”
“How?” I asked.
Kallie got to her feet. “I have to stop myself from ever going back. We won’t time travel at all, and everything we changed will be undone.”
That’s the best idea you’ve had all day, Oberi said.
Kallie led me out into the prison yard, and we snuck into the trees. We neared the death row gravesite. I could hear the past versions of Marcus and Kallie arguing from ahead of us. Rishi meowed loudly.
“There’s nothing here!” Marcus insisted. It was a relief to hear his voice. His death still felt so real.
“There has to besomething,” Kallie replied. “You’ve got psychic abilities. Maybe you can figure it out.”
“I can’t justmakemy visions happen. Acluewould be a great start.”
“Well, I don’t have a clue other than the dot on the map,” Kallie shot back.
I placed my hand on a tree and stepped around it. Kallie— the Kallie from my timeline— snuck ahead of me. She lowered her voice and whispered, “I’ve got to get myself alone. Marcus would freak if he saw two of me.”
She took another step, and a stick broke beneath her foot.
From ahead of us, Marcus gasped. “What was that?”
The tree beside me began to buzz with a strange frequency, and I felt my handmelting into it. The ground turned to jelly beneath my feet.
Kallie grabbed me and shoved me back. “Fuck! Change of plans. I spotted us, and we’ve created a paradox.”
“What the hell is that?” I hissed.
“It’s an impossibility in the timeline. Two of me can’t exist together at the same point. It’s fucking with reality.”
Time to go!Oberi said.
Kallie grabbed my hand, and we hurried back through the trees.
“It’s nothing, Marcus,” past Kallie said, her voice fading as we scurried away as silently as we could. “Don’t be such a worry wort.”
We ducked behind a big tree trunk, and Kallie steadied her breath. “I’m lying to him. I remember seeing us. My memories are shifting as we speak.”
“Is that enough?” I asked. “Will you avoid time traveling later today?”
“I haven’t made the decision yet. I know something’s wrong because you’re covered in blood, but right now, I think that’s the reason I have to go back. I still need to warn myself.”
