Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"Careful, honey. We can't have anything going wrong now can we."

I hear a voice say as I make for the stairs. It sounded like my mother but I was too occupied with trying to save the crystal and with the blood thrumming in my ears, their words were the least of my concern.

Being of Asian descent, father believed in having a large house where we could all come and settle down if anything were to ever go wrong so you can imagine the distance I had to run as I come from a huge family.

"Oh my, oh my, the crystal! Someone catch it!" came my mother's startled shriek as I heard footsteps stumble about the foyer.

With little regard for my safety, I got on to the hand rails of the staircase and slid on downstairs. Due to the speed and how steep the rails were, I shot out like a bullet, bumping into someone as soon as I reached the landing and crushing onto my butt, just in time to catch the crystal.

I could hear sharp intakes of breath from all around the room as many people let out sighs of relief. Personally, I didn't think I could do it but I did and hence I took my first step towards changing the future.

*

"What were you thinking? You could have gotten injured?!" scolds my grandmother.

I was currently in the living room along with the rest of the family as they tried to understand just what was going on and how I was able to save the crystal from breaking. What mattered to me was that the crystal was saved. It was a catalyst to a series of unfortunate events and stopping it should alter the future as I know it.

"Andrena your grandma is talking to you." Says my uncle, Sheldon.

"Well, grandma everyone, I just had a bad dream the other day that something bad would happen if the crystal broke I had to all I could to save the crystal." I say innocently as I try to change the direction of this conversation.

My family is big on safety so my swooping in might cause them to be so concerned. My knees felt sore and elbows were red but no one had noticed yet so I would be fine.

"The party is in a few days so we can't afford to have you getting any injuries. After all, you had promised Adrew that you would be the one to welcome him back so you have to be extra safe." Says my mother as she hugs me by the shoulders as I try to reel in my shock.

'A few days?' I think to myself.

'Guess I really have changed the course of the future.'

I look all around me and I find that everyone is here, alive and happy and that is what matters to me. Father was joking around with mother and grandma while Ale was being his old funny self. Everything was alright and no one was hurt.

"Oh my goodness, Andre. Why are you crying? Did you really get hurt somewhere? Tell us where, show us quick." Cries out aunt Anna and this has everyone fussing over me. At some point, tears started to roll down on their own and this made a lot of people panic.

"My elbows are just a bit sore, same with my knees." I say as I try to wipe my tears away.

"Hurry! Bring the first aid kit. We have to treat the bruising before it swells up. Andrena has always had delicate skin. It will look jarring on her." Cries my mother and I see the servants scamper off looking for the first aid kit.

Ale approaches me and lifts me up out of the blue and I let out a yelp while looking at him.

"What? Can't an older brother carry his little sister and spoil her a little? Besides, you are injured. We can't have you moving around!" he says as he tries to justify his actions.

"Yes, yes. That's a good boy, looking out for his little sister. Carry her upstairs so that she rests. Let us finish up with down here." Says my grandma and I feel the rest of the family agree along which is weird. I look to Ale and I feel like something is missing.

"Ale, am I supposed to be somewhere?" I ask and I feel his body tense up as I sway from his arms.

The whole room descended into a weird quiet like I had just stepped on a landmine and I tried to understand why.

"I don't think you have anywhere to go. Why? Did you suddenly remember something?" he asks back while looking at me carefully.

"Nope. I just realized that having a strong older brother means free rides. So come on, you have to give me free rides starting from today." I say joyfully as I stare at him with my doe eyes wide open.

I hear a few sighs of relief as though they were expecting the worst and I am now even more confused. What are they trying to hide or avoid?

"It's alright. As long as I am around. You can have all the rides that you want." Replies Ale as we ascend the stairs. I was too occupied in my thoughts to respond at that moment.

*

Back in my room, after having some medicine applied on my bruises, I was left alone to rest up. I tried to catch some sleep but I just couldn't as something kept n nagging at me from the back of my mind. Since sleep eluded me, I decided to prepare for battle.

'I need to list down the events in their order so that I can know what comes next.' I think as I look for some pen and paper.

"First was the breaking of Adrew's birth crystal that was supposed to happen two years from now. That crisis was avoided as it is a catalyst." I say as I write it all down.

"Next is the company and its workers. I think some workers were hired around four months from now. They played a big role in the Artemins' hostile takeover."

It took a while to settle all of things I needed to start my plan. By the time I realized, it was already dark outside. And that's when it hit me.