"Others, hell yeah, I like that word." she said. "I helped raise my Other. HA! Weird right? I also ran into my Other one time when she was older, she was passed out asleep in our bed, 4 years previous to my time, she didn't see me, she probably would've fainted or peed in her pants if she had, maybe both. She was way skinnier than me and snored like a monster." she said, smiling. "You snore like a monster, Aunt Allie. You're the worst!" I told her, laughing. It was true, she sounded like a freaking chainsaw, but I loved her, so it didn't matter anyway. "I should call your Dad and tell him to get his ass over here now, he has to see you all grown up!" she said. "NO, not yet Aunt Allie, hold up. You need to know why I am here first, I came here for a reason." I said. It was time to spill the beans, she needed to know why I was here, I needed her help, to save herself and my Dad. It was imperative.
When she saved my family, all of those years ago, she had to fight the past a hell of a lot of times. It took multiple tries for her to finally get it right. The first time that they died was when she was 9, just before her 10th birthday. They all died in a horrible car wreck that time and she had been in it too, the only survivor. The second time that they died, was in a house fire. She managed to change the past a bit that time though, and my Dad was saved. The third time that they died, she went back to try again and she saved my Granny Lissa and my Dad but not PawPaw Matt, he was shot to death in a robbery at his office. She went back again, a fourth time, and that time it was a terrible freak tornado, it killed everyone but her, but she had been in a coma for 29 days afterwards.
Finally, she went back one last time, after working her ass off to become beastly strong, and it was even worse, it was a culmination of almost all of the previous deaths. A huge storm blew in and a bolt of lightning set the house on fire. A tornado picked up my PawPaw's truck and threw it upside-down into the street and then she was impaled by a giant piece of the tree in the backyard. The only reason that she lived was because she managed to hide everyone in her shed that my PawPaw had given her in the past, on one of her other trips. She dragged her body to the shed and my PawPaw and Granny Harmon managed to send her home by clicking the links for her and sending her away, back to her own time. Her body went back to its original state and everybody was saved.
It was a crazy story and really hard to believe, but everybody in the family always swore that it was true, and once I saw the links for the first time, I finally believed every word. I knew that she was the right person for the job. "I need to tell you why I'm here, Auntie, it's very important!" She held up her hand and stopped me before I said anything else. "Before you say anything, put your tea down and don't eat anything. Seriously. I'm not kidding. The last time that I tried to tell your grandparents something important about their future, I almost choked to death on some damn Doritos. Let's just say, I gave up on chips after that. No more nervous eating for me. It was scary as hell. So, put the tea down, gently, and make sure that you aren't going to choke on anything." she warned. I put it down and swallowed a few times, I didn't think that I would choke on my spit but I didn't really know, she was looking really serious.
"Something horrible has happened, in my time Aunt Allie, and I need your help to fix it. I need you to come with me and help me out. You're younger now than back then and younger you is the person that I need. You just fought the past a few years ago, so you would know what was in store for me if I tried to change something. There was a horrible tragedy Auntie, and I need to set it right!" I said. "What tragedy, Lovebug?" she asked. "You and Dad, you're both dead, you were shot to death, right in front of me. It happened right when I left to come here, I came to this time to escape. I need to stop that from happening. Y'all can't be dead! SHIT!" I said, as I started to cry, running my hands furiously through my hair.
"Okay love, it's okay." she said as she got up to give me a hug. She was strong, I could feel that when she hugged me. She was the one, and she would definitely come back with me. I could feel it in my heart that she would. She knew that it was the only way to save their lives again. We could do this, I just knew it. We had to.
CHAPTER THREE
We finished our tea after I told her the whole story. Nothing happened to me, except a mild sneeze attack, but I think I might have just gotten cat hair in my nostril or something. She was shocked, but she looked like she was actually thinking about helping me. I knew that she would. "Well, that sounds rough, Chloe, but we are going to do something about it. I will help you, but it's going to be dangerous, very dangerous. I retired the links, years ago and put them in my safe so I wouldn't be tempted to use them again. I didn't think that I would ever have to fight the past again. I thought that all of this time travel stuff was over and done with, but it looks like we have a new adventure in store for us, huh?" she said.
"Yep, looks like it Auntie. 'Harmon Family Adventures' seem to be in our DNA!" I said. "Thank you for helping me, Aunt Allie, I knew that you were going to do it, that's why I came to get you and not Dad." I explained. "Well, I will help you, but I think that we need to have a family meeting, with your PawPaw and Granny and your Dad, to make sure that we have all of the information that we need. Your PawPaw and Granny always had good ideas in the past and I bet that they will be a big help to us again." she said.
I looked at her happily. "Sounds like a good plan, Auntie. I'm excited to see PawPaw and Granny! I haven't seen them in a few years, they finally passed away, PawPaw was 93 and Granny was 86. It wasn't anything that could be changed though, they just got old and it was okay. They had good lives and they were happy." I explained. She looked sad for a moment, about the future death of her parents, but then she pulled herself out of it and said, "I'm glad to hear that they lived good lives, I worked very, very hard to give that to them. They are very special people."
"Why don't we get some rest and we can start fresh in the morning. It's getting pretty late now." she said. I looked up that the wind-up clock that she kept on the mantel, it said that it was almost 2 in the morning. Damn, we had been talking for hours and she was right, I was really tired. "You can stay in the spare bedroom, I have a bed in there now! I just got it last year! You remember where it is? You always stay in there whenever you spend the night with me, your little Other, I mean." she said. "Yes, I know where it is Auntie, thank you so much for helping me. It's really wonderful to see you! You look so freaking weird, being young!" I said. She laughed, gave me a hug and said, "You're welcome, Lovebug. You look so freaking weird being OLD, my little Chloe Bear! You've grown into a beautiful woman." she said, patting my cheeks. I laughed too and then made my way to the bedroom. Aunt Allie brought me some jammies to sleep in, we were about the same size and they smelled like her. Two of her cats came and curled up beside me. Her kitties were always extra friendly and snuggly, probably because they got so much love from her. She always seemed really lonely and that made me sad for her. "Today has been the weirdest day of my life." I thought, as I hugged the closest kitty and started to fall into a deep sleep.
We woke up the next morning around 9:00 AM. I felt rested and rejuvenated and ready to get started with this huge task that I had gotten myself into. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacey!" Aunt Allie said, as she came into the bedroom to plop down onto the bed next to me. I laughed at that because she had always said that to me when I was little, to make me get up. "Are you ready to go see your grandparents?" she asked. "I called your Dad and tried to prepare him, he is on his way over too. I told him to leave your mother at home for now and keep it just between us. I don't think that she or Riley need to know about any of this right now. What do you think?" she asked. "I think you're right, Mom would have a freaking cow. I can just see the meltdown now! Although, it would be awesome to see her so young, but I know, we have to keep it secret for now." I said.
"Your Dad is leaving your little Other at home too, I still really like that word, by the way! Anyway, Little Chloe is only 8, she's a bit too young to be knowing all about this just yet, unless you want to make up an alias like I did a
nd become her and Riley's Auntie, kind of like when I became Auntie Callie. I think your Dad always liked Auntie Callie more than me, to be honest." she said, laughing. "HA! No, I don't need an alias right now, maybe whenever we go to my time. My Other will be a lot older by then and I'm sure that, at some point, we might run into her. We couldn't have people getting us confused, right?" I said. "You're right about that, my future Other will already know who I am, I'll be her Auntie Callie again, just way younger. If we go forward to a time that she is there, she and your father will refer to me as that, you just watch." she explained. "You're probably right, Aunt Allie." I said, as I stretched and dragged myself out of bed. "What's for breakfast? Eggs and bacey?" I asked, laughing. "Hell yes!" she said, laughing really hard. We got up and made our way into the kitchen for the eggs and the bacey. We had to prepare for our family meeting.
After breakfast, we made our way over to PawPaw and Granny's house. I was nervous as hell again. "They don't know about any of this yet, we are about to surprise the shit out of them. Don't be nervous, you'll be fine." she explained, rubbing my shoulder. I'm sure that she could feel how tense that I was. "Oh my God, but I am freaking nervous, Aunt Allie, I can't help it! Weren't you nervous the first time that you went! I know you were, don't try to freaking lie, you always get all sweaty and awkward and farty. I'm starting to sweat now! Ugh!" I said, as I waved my hands underneath my armpits. The farty comment cracked her up. She knew that I was right. "You're fine, chill out!" she said, giggling. "POOT!" she whispered in my ear, and then chuckled at herself. She was really weird and was always making herself laugh at her own jokes, but that was what I loved the most about her.
"Here we are, Chloe Bear, you do the honors." she said, looking at the front door and then looking back at me. "UGH!" I howled, and lifted my arm to knock on my grandparents' door. "KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!" We waited for what seemed like forever, but suddenly, I started to hear footsteps approaching. "EEK!" I thought, excitedly. The door opened and it was PawPaw. "Oh my God, he is so much younger! Look at him, he isn't a little old man yet!" I thought. Two little cats were twirling around his ankles, one grey and one ginger, I think that I remembered that their names were Leo and Kabuki. "Hey Allie, who's your friend? Hello, I'm Matt Harmon! Who might you be, young lady?" he asked cheerfully, looking at me. Then he noticed my damn Harmon nose, and his smile faltered a little. Me and my Auntie sort of favor each other, not a whole lot, but a noticeable amount. I knew that he recognized me as a Harmon, for damn sure, there was no way that he wouldn't.
"Dad, I would like you to meet your granddaughter, Chloe." she said, smiling and holding out her arms, presenting me to him. He paused for a moment, stunned, then he quickly pulled himself back together. "CHLOE ELAINE HARMON! IS THAT YOU! I'LL BE HOT DAMNED!" he hollered, opening the door to let us in and patting me on the back. "Yes, PawPaw, it's me, it's great to see you!" I said, laughing. "LISSA! GET IN HERE, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" he hollered noisily. "Your Granny is going to have a fit. Goodness, you look just like the rest of us, don't you! I would recognize that nose from a mile away!" he explained, as he walked us to the couch to sit down. I covered my nose as I sat down, and he laughed at that. "Your Auntie did the same thing the first time that she popped up on us." he explained. Aunt Allie sat there smiling and said, "Well Dad, you don't have to point it out so obviously like that! It's sort of rude! You're going to give everybody in the damn family a complex!"
After we sat down, I turned my head toward the doorway at the back of the house and my Granny entered the room. "HOLY SHIT, LOOK AT HER! She doesn't have any grey hair or anything!" I thought to myself. She looked over at my PawPaw and seemed confused. "What are you hollering about Matt! Hey Allie, good morning, who's your friend?" she asked. "Lissa, you'll never guess! It's little Chloe!" my PawPaw said excitedly, he was practically bouncing. "CHLOE! OUR CHLOE? NO WAY, FOR REAL!" she yelled? "Chloe, is that really you in there! You're all grown up!" she hollered, as she came to give me a big hug. "Hey Granny! It's great to see you! It's really me." I said, hugging her back tight. I missed them terribly. They were so great and I was so thankful that I got the chance to see them again, no matter how weird the situation was.
"Well, what's wrong? Why are you here, Chloe Bear?" my PawPaw asked. Everybody in the family still called me Chloe Bear, even as an adult. "Hold your horses, Dad, we will explain everything, but Andrew is on his way and he needs to be in on this too." Aunt Allie explained. "Oh crap, something bad has happened again." my Granny said. "It's going to be fine y'all, Aunt Allie is going to help me, no worries." I explained. They looked concerned. The stories of before did sound terrible, but it had to be done, we had to save the Harmons again. I knew that they were scared but we waited for another few minutes for my Dad to show up.
I had seen pictures of them all as young people, but seeing them in person was another thing entirely, it was tripping me out and I couldn't stop staring at everybody. Finally, the front door opened slowly and there was my Dad, my very young Dad. "Holy crap, he was handsome!" I thought to myself as I glanced at his face. "I didn't believe it was true! When your Auntie called this morning, I thought she was bullshitting me. Chloe Bear, it really is you! I see your little face in there! HI!" he said, as he walked over and hugged me. I started to cry and hugged him back, tight. "Hi Daddy, it's me." I said, happily. I was crying really hard so he held me until I got control of the sobs.
"Well, sit down and tell us what is going on already. How old are you now, Chloe?" my PawPaw asked. "I'm 33, I'll be 34 in a few months, in my time. I left in July and you know, my birthday is in September." I said. "Wow, 33 years old! That is insane! I'm only 37! You're only a few years younger than me!" said my Dad. "This is the craziest shit ever! Dad, is this how you felt when Allie appeared the first time? Back in the 80's?" he asked PawPaw. "Oh yeah, it was really weird for us, we didn't know what to think at first!" said PawPaw. "So, what's happened, Chloe Bear? Why are you here?" Granny asked.
"It's a long story, Granny..." I started. "Oh shit, Chloe, before you tell them, we have to ask your PawPaw about the thing, you know, the thing you brought with you?" interrupted Aunt Allie. "Well, go on, show it to them, don't be shy now." Aunt Allie said, urging me on. I reached deep into my front pocket and pulled out the links and the clip and put them down on the coffee table in front of us. The sunlight from the window snaked in and landed on them and rainbows glittered onto the walls all around us. They all stopped and stared at the clip on the table. "What in the hell is that thing? Is that a tie clip? Does it match the links?" asked PawPaw, as he reached over to pick it up from the table.
"Yes PawPaw, I think it is a tie clip. They are a matching set, have you ever seen it before?" I asked. "No, I've never seen this before in my life. It's a little thicker and wider than a regular tie clip. Where on Earth did you find it?" he asked, turning it over in his hands. "I found it in a box when I was younger, it was in your attic. I was being nosy one time, when I was about 13 or 14 and I was spending the night over here, so I decided to go nose through the stuff in the attic to see if there was anything cool up there. I remembered how Dad said that his grandparents' house always had all kinds of weird crap upstairs, so I thought that maybe y'all had weird crap up there too." I replied.
"Anyway, I got up there and didn't find anything but old junk, but in the bottom of a box full of random stuff, I saw that clip, glimmering in the bottom. Aunt Allie had shown me the links before, when I was that age, so I remembered what they looked like and I could tell that it looked just like them. I took it home and hid it in my jewelry box and never told anybody about it. I called it my secret treasure." I explained. "So, when Auntie gave me the links for my 21st birthday, me and Riley decided to test them out." I said.
"Wait a minute, hold up, I gave you the links for your 21st birthday? Why in the hell did I do that? Those things are dangerous!" asked Aunt Allie. "Yeah. You said that you wanted to keep them with the Harmons and I was the next Harmon on the list. Since Riley has a different Dad a
nd she's a Hill, not a Harmon, you gave them to me. She was jealous at first, but she knows that you love her just as much as you love me, so she got over it. Then you told me the entire story of your fight with the past, even the horrible parts. I only knew a little bit when I was a kid, but when I turned 21, you said that I was old enough to understand how important and dangerous they really were. You also gave me your journal, that's why I have it now. You said that I needed to make sure that I didn't travel to any of those dates in there and mess anything up. You made me promise that I wouldn't hurt myself or ruin anything and I had to keep myself and the links safe, for as long as I had them. I promised, and I didn't even try them out until later on, I was too nervous. That was when me and Riley did the test run. I was 22 and she was 29. She's 40 now, your age Auntie!" I said, turning toward her.
"Wow, she's 40! That is just unbelievable. I'd love to see that!" he said. "Is your sister okay? How's she doing?" he asked. "She's great, Dad. She has 2 kids now, a boy and a girl named Adam and Ashley, 10 and 7. She has a husband too, his name is Liam. He's a real good guy and we all get along. They live outside of Austin but they still come to visit all the time. Mom's good too, she still works in sales." I explained. "That's great, and we are still married?" he asked. "Yep, been married for 34 years, still going strong, although y'all still annoy the shit out of each other all the time." I explained, laughing. "Awesome, sounds about right!" he said as he started to laugh too.
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