January 21 2026
Imagine if you had the chance to go back to any moment in time. Any day. Any one at all. You could fix your mistakes, win the lottery, anything. I had that chance.
Imagine if you had the chance to go back to any moment in time. Any day. Any one at all. You could fix your mistakes, win the lottery, anything. I had that chance.
In 2021, time travel was discovered. Every day, someone gets their turn to use the technology while everyone else waits to die, unsure if they'll ever get their turn at all.
My name is Arianna Simeons and this is my story.
"Hello ma'am, we're from the ITTA. Is citizen 907652 here?" Curious, I watched from the kitchen as the big men in black suits asked my mother about me.
"I'm sorry sir, what is this about? I have an obligation to protect my daughter." Confused, I opened the heavy kitchen door a little further, careful not to make too much noise. Why was mum being so formal and defensive?
"You're 473250 I assume? Identity Jennifer Simeons?" Mum nodded as the man pushed past her.
"You know who we are, don't you? Well then you'll understand. Its Arianna's time. She's special ma'am. We had to change the lines to take her but she is going to save us all." Not waiting for mum's response, the man came into the kitchen and pulled me roughly to my feet, shoving me out the door. Once outside, his partner pushed me into a rusty blue pickup truck and we sped away, never to return.
"I'm sorry sir, what is this about? I have an obligation to protect my daughter." Confused, I opened the heavy kitchen door a little further, careful not to make too much noise. Why was mum being so formal and defensive?
"You're 473250 I assume? Identity Jennifer Simeons?" Mum nodded as the man pushed past her.
"You know who we are, don't you? Well then you'll understand. Its Arianna's time. She's special ma'am. We had to change the lines to take her but she is going to save us all." Not waiting for mum's response, the man came into the kitchen and pulled me roughly to my feet, shoving me out the door. Once outside, his partner pushed me into a rusty blue pickup truck and we sped away, never to return.
That was 5 years ago. Now I'm 21 years old, living in a building with cold, white washed walls and it's time to go. My brother and I used to spend hours talking about what we would do, when we would go if we ever had the chance. Not long ago they brought my brother here too so I would stop having such bad nightmares. It didn't work.
"Hey Ari! Where are you going?" My brother Jason called after me as I walked down the sterile halls toward my never ending nightmare. Slowly, I turned to face him.
"The simulation ends today Jason. We're going." Eyes widening in fear, Jason sprinted to catch up as I turned back and started down the hall again.
"When are we going Ari? Why do they think we have all the answers?"
Stopping abruptly, I looked to my younger brother and admitted my biggest fear.
"I don't know Jase."
"When are we going Ari? Why do they think we have all the answers?"
Stopping abruptly, I looked to my younger brother and admitted my biggest fear.
"I don't know Jase."
A few hours later, all the equipment was ready and our advisor was asking some last minute questions. Little things like what food he should have made for our trip home and how long we wanted to stay in the past. It was all just busywork though. He was waiting until it was time for the biggest question of them all.
"Okay Adrianna, this is it. When do you want to go?" Taking a deep breath, I readied myself to say what I had decided so many years ago.
"April 12th, 2014. The day Julianna Kelley took her own life."
"Okay Adrianna, this is it. When do you want to go?" Taking a deep breath, I readied myself to say what I had decided so many years ago.
"April 12th, 2014. The day Julianna Kelley took her own life."
Jason looked over at me and gasped, a question on the tip of his tongue. Before he could ask his important question, professor Leerson flipped the final switch that sent us back in time.
As Jason stumbled after landing 12 years in the past, I turned towards a familiar building behind us. "Ari? Where are we?" Glancing back at my brother before hopping on the lid of a garbage bin to pull down the fire escape, I told him what he probably didn't want to know. "We're here Jase. This is the alley behind the Kelley's apartment." Turning even more pale than he normally was, my brother shut his mouth and climbed onto the garbage bin as I ran up the old fire escape as fast as I dared.
Moments later, we reached Michael's bedroom window. Michael was Julianna's brother and his room was only a few feet from hers. Realizing my plan, Jason grabbed my shoulder. "Are you sure this is a good idea Ari? I know Julie's death is what tore you and Mike apart but is this really worth it? Do you think you could deal with having her back? What if..." Pulling away from my brother, I told him the same thing I had been telling myself for weeks. "It doesn't matter how it ends up or what I think, this is what needs to happen. Don't ask me why but I'm sure of it." Having made up my mind, I crawled into my ex-boyfriend's bedroom (did it really count as ex? I mean, we hadn't broken up at the time in his world... Oh well.) and walked quickly to the door, knowing that there was no one home. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the hall with it's plush new carpeting and threw open Julianna's door just in time to see her stepping up onto a chair and reaching for a rope hung from the ceiling.
Time slowed down as I ran towards her and grabbed the rope before she could reach it. Bursting into tears, she swung a fist at me and collapsed into my arms.
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Should I continue?
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