Twisted Time

“It is time.” Bilal said quietly but his sister shook her head not wanting to believe him.

“You can not ignore it Sireal, I am telling you we have to go now.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Sireal crossed her arms refusing to accept it.

“I cannot help that you’ve fallen in love with an inferior. That's your problem alone but we’ve been summoned and we cannot disregard their message.”

“I can and I will disregard it,” she pouted and turned away from him.

Bilal was no longer amused. His sister was his responsibility and he would not leave her behind.

“You will,” he whispered softly and immediately began the call to open the path.

Sireal wasn’t frightened of the portal it was the realization that she was leaving Steve that scared her. She was not one who begged for anything but her heart had never felt so heavy. She choked back tears and touched her brother’s arm.

“Please not yet, at least let me speak with Steve one last time.”

The tears in her crystal blue-green eyes might have stopped him but the demand to leave was not negotiable.

Bilal shook his head. “We have to go now.”

His answer vibrated through her as did the frequency peaking in the room.

“No,” she cried out fruitlessly.

 

Sireal and Biala were transported to the Committees gathering place and as Sireal’s tears dried on her cheeks, her hands fisted at her side. She was furious.

“Send me back now,” she whispered fiercely to her brother but he told her to be quiet.

“No,” she hissed defiantly moving away from him. She tried not to listen to the words of Mechali, the committee’s advisor, but his words penetrated her anger anyway.

“The signs are upon us. We have failed in teaching these inhabitants to protect the land, to prosper without harm, to adhere to the life forces of nature. There is no more time to save them, their fate is cast. We have to act quickly to save the ones who have joined us and those we have sent here as saviors. All must be gathered and transported to a safe place before the next earthly sunrise.

“Take me back to Steve now,” Sireal hissed, “he’ll be waking up…he’ll miss me.”

“Pity.”

“Take me back or I’ll go myself,” she threatened.

“You’ll get lost.”

“I’ll chance it…watch me.”

Bilal relented, “Very well, I’ll take you back, but only for you to tell him goodbye.”

“No, I love Steve. He goes with us or I stay with him.”

“He will not believe you and if he doesn’t agree to come with us immediately, you will be leaving him behind.”

“He’ll believe me.”

“We’ll see,” Biala said skeptically before taking her hand and transporting them back to her apartment.

 

 

“I’ve got to wake up,” Steve said softly thinking how lucid this dream was.

“You’re not sleeping Steve but you do have to get out of that bed and come with me,” Sireal begged him sweetly but when he didn’t open his eyes she pinched him hard on his forearm.

“Ow!” Steve sat up quickly, “Why’d you do that Sara?”

“To wake you up,” she said with exasperation.

“I’m trying to wake up,” he said and blinked a few times.

He’d been having the strangest dream. Sara was sitting on the bed, like she was now, and it felt surreal because he thought he was awake but she was saying the same things she’d said in the dream. She was saying how she was descended from the people who had once inhabited Atlantis. How survivors of that race had found their way to another dimension just before the great continent of Atlantis was destroyed and that she’d come to Earth from a parallel dimension. His world was doomed to the same fate as Atlantis and he had to escape with her.

Steve shook his head harder trying to dislodge himself from the dream. “Sara, let me close my eyes and finish this weird dream then I’ll wake up and everything will be ok,” he said as he tried to lie back down but she grabbed his arm and with an unexpected power in her grip turned him back to her.

Steve could see she was furious but he was more concerned that her grip felt like he was awake, and he knew he couldn’t be.

“I have no patience for your lack of belief and little time left to convince you,” she fumed as she tried unsuccessfully to pull his muscular six foot form out of the bed.

“What are you doing,” he smiled and then deciding how he could end this dream better, and he pulled her into the bed with him. It was a much better way to continue this dream he thought but then Sara’s brother stepped into the room and he quickly grabbed for the covers instead, since he preferred to sleep in the all together and with Sara it was a mutually comfortable situation with Ben standing there it was anything but.

“Why are you in my dream?” Steve said stupidly.

Sara turned to her brother and saw he wanted to hit him so she stood up and stepped in front of him.

Bilal averted his eyes and said with little patience, “You have five seconds to get out of that bed, dressed and willing to leave with us, otherwise have a nice life…short as it will be,” he mumbled the last words and walked out of the room.

Steve felt wide awake now but he still wasn’t totally convinced he wasn’t having a very vivid dream. “What’s going on Sara, why is your brother here?”

She turned anxious eyes on him and pleaded, “Please get dressed Steve and come into the living room, please for me, I’ll have some strong coffee ready for you,” she promised before she followed her brother out of the room.

Steve thought about putting his head back on the pillow and making this all go away but the conversation in his living room was too loud to ignore. Maybe he wasn’t dreaming.

He got up from the bed and began to get dressed.

 

“What do you mean travel out of this dimension?” Steve asked Sara as the coffee he’d just sipped began to wake him up.

Her brother Ben was talking crazy too and he had no idea why they were being so weird. He’d looked at Sara for understanding, or should he say Sireal since she’d confessed that was her real name, it was an odd name but okay, he’d still call her Sara.

Sara didn’t respond it was her brother who answered him, in a very condescending tone.

“It’s a specific frequency that allows travel through dimensions. You and your worldwide, planetary dwellers have not yet discovered it.”

Steve laughed, he was sure they were joking with him.

“What, like on that old Sci-Fi TV show where they were always beaming somewhere? I think you’ve been air deprived flying those jets everyday Ben or should I say Bilal? Come on you two let it go, whatever this joke is supposed to be, it isn’t that funny.” Steve stood up thinking if he went back to bed now maybe he’d wake up from this strange day.

Sara stopped him with her hand on his arm but she spoke to her brother. “Please, give him a chance to understand,” then she turned to Steve; “Honey, it’s anything but a joke and I really need you to listen…please, for me.”

Sara’s beautiful cat eyes shone with sincerity and Steve felt her love for him arrow right to his core. Her brother however was not welcoming him at all, but he’d play along for Sara and if it made her brother like him, that'd be a plus.

“Fine,” Steve shrugged turning his attention back to Sara’s sibling, “So what exactly is this frequency you can travel through. Is it a new way your airline is flying these days?” he laughed, he couldn’t help it, it was too ridiculous and he wasn’t able to keep a straight face.

Bilal gave him a withering smile. He’d been working as a pilot for a major airline as a  cover but right now he wanted to punch the smugness off the man’s face. It was only his sister’s pleading eyes that made him relent. He unclenched his fist. He’d try one more time to explain the situation to this inferior being.

Bilal’s eyes were narrowed with annoyance but he kept his tone informative. “First, it is not at all like your dated sci-fi shows because it is real. There are many dimensions beyond yours. Knowledge of the specific frequencies and vibrations that match those alternate dimensions are what make it possible to travel through to them. However, even knowing the frequency pitch you have to be able to precisely match it, not everyone has the ability to do that, but I do.”

“Wait a minute are you talking time travel?” Steve snorted, “Yeah, like I’d believe that’s possible.”

Bilal threw up his hands and turned to his sister. “I give up. This man’s inability to think beyond his own everyday knowledge is too big a road block.”

Sara put her hands on Steve’s shoulders making him look at her. “We’re not talking time travel and none of this is a joke.”

Steve looked at her, realizing for the first time how serious she was about this.

“You really believe in this moving through dimensions stuff?”

“Yes and I need you to believe it too. Please listen to Bilal.”

Steve wondered how he’d never known this side of her. They’d been dating nearly a year and she’d seemed so normal.

“Okay, I’ll try,” he said to humor her and then he turned to her brother, “Go ahead Bilal, tell me how I can move through to your time.”

Bilal shook his head at the ignorance and said, “It is not time travel. True time travel is not possible for the living; it is only possible when one is in spirit form, as in death. But if that is what you’d like to do perhaps-”

Sireal punched her brother and he sighed with resignation. It was hard to keep a hold on his annoyance but he’d try. “Okay, let me see if I can simplify it for you Steve.”

“Please do,” Steve nodded and sipped his now cooling coffee.

Bilal plastered on a fake smile. “Try to follow this…even if it is difficult for you.”

“I’ll try,” Steve shrugged.

Bilal sighed and sat down so he was on eye level with Steve as he began.

“There are infinite levels of dimensions. There are dimension too far away from us and these are impossible to move through to but the dimensions closer to us, are accessible. They are connected to our world and our time is mirrored in it. Now, I’m not sure your inferior mental capacity can truly grasp all the scientific mathematics I could give you to prove this; so this simplistic explanation will have to be enough.  When we travel through to this dimension we are physically moving in a finite stream of frequency that opens a door and allows us passage.

“Oh yeah, that makes perfect sense. Thanks Ben, now I completely understand,” Steven’s sarcasm did not go unnoticed so the rolling of his eyes was merely redundant.

Bilal’s restrained annoyance broke free and he stood up. “It’s all true, and I can show you if you’re brave enough to let me,” he said tauntingly.

“No thanks.”

“Are you chicken?” Bilal said throwing down the childish challenge.

Steve scoffed at the insult coming from a mature adult but inwardly his own reaction was immediate and just as childish.

 “No, I’m not chicken…go ahead and prove it, let’s travel to an alternate Mars for breakfast.”

“Perhaps another time, currently we are going to the way station, a holding pen, if you will, for alien transport.”

“So now you’re telling me you’re an alien?”

“No, on the contrary …you are.”

Just then the door bell rang making them all jump.

“We weren’t expecting anyone,” Sara looked to Steve.

“It must be my sister, Jen, remember she’d said she was stopping by this morning for breakfast and she’d bring us bagels.”

Ben narrowed his eyes at his sister, “Make her go away. You have two minutes. We have no more time.”

“Jen is really sweet I can’t just-”

“Stop it,” Steve said putting down his coffee then he stood up shaking his head, ”Look I’ll play along all day if you two want me to, I’ll even pretend I’m an alien but my sister is not going to get this, so whatever this is you both need to shelve it,” he told them decisively and walked to the door.

Steve really didn’t understand why they were being so weird this morning and if he wasn’t so in love with Sara, he’d be running for the nearest relationship exit.

He opened the door to find Jen holding a large bag filled with bagels.

“I didn’t know which ones Sara preferred so I bought one of each,” Jen said with a smile as she looked past him and saw Sara standing next to a very tall, very handsome man and she said, “It looks like a good thing I brought extra.” She smiled coyly at their guest and when he smiled back she wondered briefly if they were trying to hook her up again. Well…maybe this time, she wouldn’t mind. This guy was off the charts, gorgeous, over six foot and built like an Adonis and her smile brightened because he was checking her out too.

“Hello,” Jen said as she walked into the apartment.

Bilal wasn’t prepared for the petite blond who’d just walked through the door. Her warm brown eyes were like velvet chocolate and her face was symmetrically appealing. He was not assimilating her dimensions but if he were, she was defiantly higher than a ten scale. She’d be a prime candidate to take with them but he could not if she had a mate here. It was too late to gather her family for transport, and that was a pity.

“Hi Jen,” Sara spoke up, “I hate to have to say this but we might need to reschedule this morning, my brother Ben is taking us out.”

Steven turned an annoyed look on her and said decisively, “Well Jen can join us, right?”

Ben stepped closer to Jen and took the bag of bagels from her hands. “We would be glad to have you join us but we may be gone for a while do you have plans for your day or a family you need to get back to?”

Jen stared into his deep blue eyes and realized he was asking her if she were married. She smiled shyly and shook her head, “No, I’ve no plans, and no one to miss me. The only family I have is my brother Steve here.”

“Wonderful!” replied Bilal then he tossed her bag of bagels on to the floor and picked her up in his arms.

“Wait, what are you doing?” she squirmed in his arms but he only held her tighter.

“It is time,” he said loudly and began to recite the words he’d been taught in perfect pitch as he turned on the frequency bender hidden in his pocket.

The room vibrated with sound as Steve tried to grab Ben’s arm to demand he release his sister and his sister was staring at Ben as if she were in a trance and that's when he suddenly realized, they were no longer standing in his apartment.

The first sensation Steve had was coldness and then swift movement but he didn’t remember stepping out of the apartment. When his eyes began to focus he saw a blur of colors and he was conscious of Sara’s hand holding his tightly and he held hers like a lifeline and his sister Jen was unconscious in Ben’s arms. This really had to be a dream, one of those dreams when you thought you were awake and it all felt real but you were still dreaming, he fervently prayed it was like that.

All the colors evaporated and Steve found he was standing with Sara in the middle of a crowded hall with a high domed roof, like some kind of a government building, and he suddenly knew this wasn't a dream because he was terrified and he was wide-eyed awake.