By Noorain Banday

I leapt up, the smell of ash coating my nostrils and clogging my throat.

I knew this job would be way too risky!

A memory from the emergency lessons flashed in my mind:

“If you do not know what is happening, always start by remembering things about yourself,” my time traveler mentor’s voice reminded me yet again.

Okay. Right. My name is Therrus, but my Earthen name is Luke James. When I applied to the Earthen Initiative, I wanted to be a techie, working behind the scenes on the costumes so that the Terrans wouldn’t suspect anything. Instead, the Initiative sent me down to Earth to observe the earthlings. There were some good things about it though. Like coffee.

My stomach growled at the thought of drinking that delicious Terran beverage.

Focus! My Portal Hopper had just broken and sent me to a random spot and place. I checked my bag. The Portal Hopper was inside, meaning it wasn’t a dream. But, if it wasn’t a dream, then that meant…

I quickly checked my hands then felt the top of my head.

I sighed. Yep. Just as I suspected.

Since the techies at the Initiative hadn’t figured out how to ensure our disguises make us look perfectly human, I had some interesting body parts. For starters, I had six fingers on each hand because of my double thumbs. A permanent red baseball cap was stuck on my head since they couldn’t figure out how to replicate human hair.

Nervous voices broke my strain of thought. Or is it my train of thought? I always get confused with these human sayings.

I looked around. Ash coated the ground and was… falling from the sky?

Shake yourself out of it. It’s a dream.

I noticed a man gesturing wildly to me while yelling in a strange language. I managed to cross the street and only got tackled twice by two different humans. The figure was tall, with intense sea green eyes. By the way he looked at me, he was definitely not a Terran. As I neared, the mysterious man signed for me to follow him, leading me inside a small home.

A woman stood inside and fussed over the mysterious man when he walked in. He brushed her away, turned, and focused on me.

He signed for me to come in.

Breathing was easier inside, but there was no avoiding the scent of ash.

“Who are you?” I asked, trying to pronounce the Terran consonant sounds correctly. Telepathy was so much easier.

A deep voice echoed in my mind, I am Orion, from the Earthen Initiative. You must leave immediately. This is much too dangerous for you.

“You’re… from the Initiative? And from the past? My mind spun. The Initiative existed in the past?

Yes, Therrus. The Initiative was made long before you were born, dating back to the beginning of time. Now, back to business. Orion took my Portal Hopper out of my hand.

“I will fix this.” He took out what looked like a mini toolbox, far too advanced for this time. Speaking of time, I still had no clue where, or when, I was.

You haven’t figured it out yet? We are currently in year seventy-nine. We are in Pompeii. Mount Vesuvius is erupting.

It was like Orion could tell what I was thinking, which he obviously could. And I had traveled… back in time? I had never done that before.

He gave me my Portal Hopper back and set it to a different channel. You only have two total hops possible. After this hop, you will only have one left before this breaks completely. He turned the portal on and gestured for me to step inside.

I stepped in, turned around and held out my hand to him.

Yet he shook his head, and a single tear dripped down his cheek.

Goodbye Therrus. I wish you a safe journey. I wish I could join you, but I must stay with my family. Even though I won’t be with them for long.

His eyes told me a story—one where everyone escaped in time. Where he would live a full and prosperous life.

A story that would never come true.

He knew what was going to happen. The Initiative knew what was going to happen. They left him here.

“No!” I reached for him, but it was too late. He was gone.

My choice to step into the portal would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life, because if given a choice, I couldn’t leave someone behind, especially when I knew what was about to happen.

I woke up lying in the sand. The sun glared down on me.

“Where am I?” I asked no one in particular.

A plane flew over me.

“I must be in modern times now,” I wondered. The plane soon disappeared behind the clouds.

A second later, a loud boom shook the entire beach.

I looked around to try and find a place to hide.

A unique sign caught my eye. It read, “Pearl Harbor Beach.”

Oh no. Not again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Noorain Banday is a seventh grader with a passion for writing, especially creative fantasy stories. She enjoys writing tales about magic, adventure, and unanticipated heroes. In her free time, she enjoys playing music (violin, guitar, cello, and clarinet). She also loves activities with her two rambunctious, younger, and overly energetic sisters, often joining them in their imaginative fantasy worlds.

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