Twyford Park - Back in time

Coughing Elisa stumbled out of the time machine. With all that smoke it was obvious that the machine still didn´t work. Even though she had known it wouldn´t work she couldn´t help hoping. She cast down her eyes. Will would be disappointed enough he didn´t need to see it in her eyes as well. It would just hurt him and he didn´t deserve that after all the time and work he invested in the time machine.

Lost in her thoughts Elisa didn´t realize that the ground beneath her feet was not the cool grey stone floor of Will´s laboratory in the academy, but soft green grass. Sensing that something was wrong she looked up and froze.
She was standing in a cute, well cared for little park. It was one of those typical sub-urban parks where the kids of the neighborhood would go to play together. Where parents could send them, knowing that nothing would happen because the adults would keep an eye on every child and home was just a block away.
It was the park of Elisa´s dreams and her nightmares, of her childhood and the abrupt end of it, the place where her happy family stopped to exist.
With tears in her eyes she took in the familiar sight.
The grass was such a lush green that it almost looked poisonous. To the right was a group of trees in where she spent countless hours playing hide-and-seek. The ponds´surface was sparkling like sapphires in the last few rays of the warm summer sun. There were still kids running around, laughing and playing games, before their mothers called them back home for dinner.
Elisa couldn´t believe that she finally made it back. She would finally know what happened to Lucian and who they were.

If Wills calculations were right she would arrive just in time. But her time in the past was limited so she couldn´t stay there, take in the sight and remember old times.
Determined she made her way down the hill. She didn´t worry about the time machine, the people in the past weren´t able to see it just like they weren´t able to see Elisa herself.
Since she knew where to look for she found them soon. They were playing near the pond. The oldest one of the three children was a boy about Elisa´s own age, 16 years. The other two were a boy and a girl about the age of eight. With one look you could tell that the younger ones were siblings. They had the same dark brown hair, the same bright blue eyes and the same admiring smile while looking at the older boy. He looked different, with fair hair and dark eyes, but by the way he treated the younger kids it was obvious that he had to be the older brother. Watching them fooling around and having fun, Elisa couldn´t hold back her tears. Silently they rolled down her cheeks.

“ – carry me piggy-back?” said the girl.

“Again? Aren´t you getting tired of that?” the eldest boy asked her smiling.

“Yes! And not for that!” she looked up at him with big pleading eyes. “Oh puh-leease!”

Her brother laughed. “I bet Gracie taught you to make that puppy-face, no?”

“I don´t know what you mean.” His sister answered innocently batting her eyelashes.

“Oh god. I don´t even want to know what that girl has been teaching you more!” he exclaimed. The girl only smirked. “Well knowing you two you won´t rest until you get what you want or am I wrong?” he sighed.

The little girls smirk got wider.
He bowed mockingly and with a big grin he motioned for her to jump on his back. She shrieked with delight as he started to bounce her up and down.
Seeing his siblings having fun without him, the little boy, who had played in the grass, tackled his brother too and held on to him like a monkey. With both on his back the oldest one started running and tossing the kids clinging to him around. Elisa watched them with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face as they all landed giggling on the grass.

They were so occupied with each other that Elisa was the first one to spot the figures approaching the three siblings. Without them noticing the last few rays had vanished and the park was suddenly deserted.
She wanted to warn them, shout at them to run, but it would be useless they couldn´t see her and the dark figures came nearer and nearer.
Then finally the oldest boy seemed to sense that something was wrong and raised his head. When he saw the little group approaching, surprise, fear and resentment showed in his eyes. Quickly he sprang to his feet, pulling his siblings up as well. Protectively he placed himself in front of them.

“You have to go. Now!” gone was the smile, replaced by a tense and cautious expression.

“What? Why? Who are those people?” asked the little boy confused while curiously peeking at the dark shapes approaching from behind his brother.

“Listen to me carefully you two, this is very important. You have to go straight home and you have to hurry. Tell Father to go to Uncle Oliver. No questions. No detours. If he doesn´t listen ask him where Belle is. I´ll catch up. Don´t worry. Now go!” his tone expected full obedience.

The little girl looked up to her brother with big, shocked eyes.
“What are you talking about? Is this a new game? I don´t like it! I´m scared. Let´s go home, Luke!”

He ignored her, though Elisa could see the pain in his eyes.

“Jonah you have to take good care of Gracie, Debby and especially Lizzy until I´m back, promise me?” he addressed his little brother. “Don´t forget what I taught you!”

Sensing that it was no new game his brother had made up for them he got serious.

“I promise, Luke.” The way he said it sounded like a vow.

The little girl, Lizzy, looked at both with obvious horror in her eyes as she listened to them. It sounded too much like a final farewell to her.

“Good.” Luke sounded a bit more relaxed. “Now quick take Lizzy and run.”

With a short nod Jonah took his protesting sisters hand and started running. Something changed in the group of the dark hooded figures that had stood motionless a few feet away from them until then. With a sign of the figure in the middle, one of the others pulled out something that looked like a fancy gun. He aimed at the children running away and shot. With a mumbled curse their brother jumped in the bullets way, crashed to the ground and laid still.

A heart breaking cry tore through the eerie silence that had settled on the suddenly abandoned neighborhood. It was Lizzy who had screamed and was now trying to run back to her brother, but the little boy, Jonah, didn´t loosen his grip on her. Tears were running down her cheeks as she clawed at him to let her go while he tried to calm her down and pull her with him. A silent gasp made Elisa´s eyes wander back to the boy lying on the ground.
Struggling he managed to get up again, clutching his side.

“Jonathan, move!” he grunted out, his eyes never leaving the danger in front of him.

“Luke, you´re hurt!“ Lizzy starred at him with horror.

“Elisa go! I´ll be fine!” he snapped at his little sister.

Clearly not convinced, but too scared to disobey she let Jonah lead her away, not without a last worried look at her wounded brother though. Then they vanished from sight.

Luke said something to the dark hooded group but suddenly Elisa couldn´t hear them anymore. Shocked she realized that her time was running out and she still didn´t know anymore than before. She tried to take a step toward the group to identify them but some invisible force seemed to drag her back, back to where the time machine stood, just as Will had told her. Will. All his work would be for nothing. No. Elisa couldn´t let that happen. With all her might she tried to fight against the force pulling her back. She didn´t manage more than slow it down a bit.
But in that moment one of the figures raised his head and the light of one of the street lamps lit his face up for a second. It was enough, Elisa recognized his face.
A hauntingly familiar face.
Shocked she stopped fighting the force and everything went fuzzy and then black as she was pulled back to the machine and her own time.


Coughing Elisa stumbled out of the time machine. This time she was back in Will´s lab. He looked at her with curious and a bit scared green eyes, not daring to ask her if it worked. Behind him she could see someone else. A face that she had just seen drag a little girl away from almost certain death. And it was this person she addressed first, still out of breath from the discovery she just made.

“Jonah, I know who it was. I know where Lucian is.”