1927: Redemption

Go back in TIME?

“In faith I am free. When we feel the divinity of our God-given talents and see how they can do good for mankind and creation, every chain breaks.”

2016-DECEMBER-LONDON

“Concerning?” Adeline hinted, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Your grandfather, James Martinez.”

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Her heart started pounding erratically against her chest and her eyes were already burning with unshed tears. This was what Ace wanted to talk about?

Adeline’s grandfather?

Before she could utter a single word, Ace continued with a small mocking smile on his face, “I’m going to offer you a chance to do something, Adeline Martinez. But please understand that what I’m about to tell you is not to be taken lightly at all. This might well possibly be the hardest thing you’re ever going to do.”

Well, this certainly did not sound promising to Adeline.

Ace was about to further explain what was going on, but the old man from before returned to their table with their cups of tea. His hands were shaking as he set the tray down and he still looked beyond nervous.

Turning towards the poor old man, “Thank you, Sir.” Adeline said, smiling as warmly as she could.

The old man nodded with a shaky smile before leaving their table again.

“What are you talking about Ace be more specific, please?” Adeline demanded, taking a cup of steaming tea, just to portray that everything was normal between them, though she was shivering from inside.

“If you choose to believe,” Ace began in a gravely serious voice. “I’m going to help you to find the three objects which will send you back in 1999, where you have to stop Jack Martinez from going into 1930.”

Adeline spat out the sip of tea she had just taken and stared at Ace as he had just asked her if she could perform witchcraft or something supernatural.

“Excuse me?” She croaked, grappling around for a napkin on the table. “You want me to do what?”

“I believe you heard me correctly, Adeline,” Ace sighed, across looking coming over his face.

“You have got to be kidding!” Adeline shrieked, slamming her teacup down on the table. “I know you are already insane, but this… this is taking it to an entirely new level!”

“Listen-“

“No!” Adeline cut Ace off in between as the unshed tears started pouring down her honey brown eyes. “I’m pretending like everything is normal here, but it’s not!” With one hand’s fingers through her hair frustratingly, she continued, “My grandfather is dead. I-It hurts so bad, I can’t breathe. I can’t- I can’t do anything. I can’t, okay?”

Ace kept quiet, just studying her features, her mood, her frustration for some time as she covered her face with her palms. He gave her time to calm down until her breath started to flow in and out rhythmically.

After some time, Ace arched an elegant black eyebrow when Adeline uncovered her face and looked at him, his thin lips pursed in an unpleasant expression. “You mean to say that you don’t want to save Jack and James Martinez, I apologize if I didn’t mention your mother, Rose Martinez.”

Adeline’s eyes widened as the concept of the mother was still foreign to her, she had always seen her mother in pictures, she never understood that how does it feel to have a mother because she never get to meet her and that angered her as she spat, “Don’t talk about her and either of my family.”

He leaned back in his chair, a satisfied look coming across his face.

Adeline did not know when she had gotten to her feet, or when she had clenched her fists either, but now she was leaning across the table with a furiously angry look on her face.

“That told me everything I needed to know,” Ace smirked, drumming his fingers on the table again.

She dropped back into her seat with a heavy sigh, glaring daggers across the table at him.

“You want me to go back in time and stop my father to go back in time?” Adeline repeated for confirmation, taking a deep breath. “How stupid does it sound?”

Ace nodded, looking pleased with himself. “That’s right, Adeline Martinez.”

He had to be joking, there was no way in hell that this could actually be possible or true.

This man might be high on drugs, thought Adeline.

“No, I’m not on drugs, Martinez. I know it sounds crazy.” Ace confirmed.

“Explain.” She demanded, gnawing nervously on her lip.

Ace shrugged an indifferent shoulder, examining his long fingers. “I don’t have to.”

“That’s not funny!” She barked, slamming a fist down on the table. “Explain this freaking concept you have come up with Ace or whatever your true name is!”

“Oh, don’t give me such big credit, your father, Jack Martinez came up with this exciting concept, and yes you will someday learn my real name,” he replied, smirking in that Uber creepy way again. “And I can’t exactly explain to you the reason. That is not up for discussion. But if you succeed, however… well, we will probably be having another discussion like this one.”

“But how am I-“

“Going to succeed?” Ace supplied for her. “I can’t tell you that. That’s something you’re going to have to figure out on your own.”

So, Ace wanted to send Adeline back in 1999 to keep her father from going back in time. But how on earth was she going to do that?

“Why 1999?” Adeline asked against her better judgment.

“Because,” Ace replied nonchalantly. “In 1999 Jack’s research to open time portals was completed, hence he decided to go back in time.”

Was that even possible? Thought Adeline.

Adeline sipped convulsively at her tea, gripping her cup so tightly it would not have surprised her if it shattered in her hands.

How the hell was she supposed to do this?

She could barely fight with anyone on her own, let alone do the unthinkable.

There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to know the truth behind this fiasco, she was just worried that she was going to fail at this.

But, why was she the choice?

With that thought in mind, she looked up at Ace who was staring outside, “Why me?” Adeline asked.

“I’m not allowed to speak that truth out, I have taken enough risk to have a chat with you in public. That answer you have to find on your own.”

More secrets!

But from all the unanswered questions, one was, what was going to happen if she failed? Adeline had a sneaking suspicion that she did not really want to think about that.

But she had to ask, right?

“And if… if I fail?” Adeline asked Ace hesitantly, feeling like she was about to burst into tears again.

Ace took a sip of his cup of tea, an undefinable look in his dark eyes that she didn’t really want to know.

“You really don’t want to know the answer for that, Adeline Martinez. Trust me.”

Adeline indeed wanted to know everything, the research and all but there was this nagging thought in the back of her mind that kept her freaking out about failing.

What if she was not able to do that? Then what would happen?

As she was internally freaking out about all of this, Adeline suddenly remembered her grandfather’s dead body and how those killers came for her, how that person with golden eyes saved her life.

If she does what Ace was saying, she might also know the truth behind that golden-eyed man.

That was what ultimately made her decision for her.

Adeline had to do this.

There was no doubt in her mind now.

Swallowing the rest of her tea, Adeline set the cup back down on the table.

“I’ll do it,” Adeline announced.

Ace gave a short nod, rubbing a hand across his jaw in thought. “All right.”

Adeline swallowed hard, glancing nervously at him.

“So what do I do now?” She asked, brushing back a strand of her hair from her face.

Setting his cup down, “Leave London, move back to Florida. You will find all your answers there.” Said, Ace.

“But-“

Ace hushed, leaning forward on his elbows, reaching out to run his bony fingers through the flame of a slowly burning candle set off to the side on the table.

“All in good time, Adeline Martinez.”

That was all she remembered before Ace blew something on her face and she fell through this endless pit of fathomless darkness and then nothing at all.

Time portals? A lie or a truth?

Would Adeline be able to do the unthinkable?

What are those three objects?