One Minute Time Travel

I woke up and initially felt that there’s something different. My whole body is buzzing with energy. I look at the clock on my bedside table and see that it’s 7:38. I go down to our dining room expecting breakfast but I‌ find my parents sitting on our couch, their eyes glued to the screen. Their expressions are full of fear. I pay attention to the news. Instantly, I knew that I’m the one who did this. I broke the universe.

Today, the sun rose from west and not the east.

The day before started pretty normally. The sun rose  from the east and all that. I woke up, ate breakfast, and went to school. All this craziness started when I was walking home from school.I was dreading reaching home and facing my mother. I failed another Math exam and I’m pretty sure my mom’s gonna kill me. My “superpower” did not help at all. I am one of the people on Earth that was given a superpower. There’s quite a few of us that was gifted one. But all of our superpowers are borderline useless.

A few years ago, I saw a post in Facebook that was asking “Comment a superpower that you want to have but give it a twist that would make it useless”. I scrolled down through the comments and they were interesting and funny. And so I wrote “Time travel but you can only travel one minute into the past.” I‌ did not know that it would be granted. Apparently, some higher divine being got bored and decided to give humans awful superpowers.

And since then, I‌ could only travel back one minute into my past. There were times that they became useful. I tripped in the middle of the dance floor in prom and everyone saw. Whoosh. Never happened! The time for answering exams are not enough, I‌ read the question and when I don’t understand it right away, I go back a minute. Just tiny trips back in time… nothing that would put a dent into the universe.

I was silently and slowly walking when I spotted my boyfriend from across the street. I’ve known James all my life. He’s my next door neighbor. Naturally, we realized we weren’t just friends at 14. We’ve dated ever since.

He smiles at me and walks forward, crossing the street between us. Suddenly, a racing car drove past him. It took a moment for me to register what happened. I didn’t even comprehend what occurred, not until I saw all the blood. I put myself back together and willed myself back in time.

I find myself a few blocks from the intersection. I‌ do not move. If he doesn’t see me across the street, he wouldn’t be distracted while crossing. I‌ stop myself from crying. I tell myself that there is no reason to cry. I know that he’s safe.

After a couple of minutes just standing there, I decided that it’s time to walk. He’s probably home by now. Instead of going straight to our home, I went straight to theirs. ‌I‌ called out his name in their foyer. His mom peeked her head from the kitchen. She was initially confused and smiled. “He’s up in his room,”‌ his mother says. I don’t have to ask if I can come up because I never had to. In no time, I was in front of his room. I knock and he opens.

I‌ hugged him immediately.

“I‌ missed you too,”‌he told me as he bends down to kiss me. For the first time since I got it, I am so grateful for my powers. It’s the best superpower ever.

Soon, I forget about what happened as we chat about how our  day was. I‌ tell him the failed math exam. He smiles and he thinks that why I didn’t go home yet. I tell him it would’ve been better if we go to the same school so he can do my homework for me since  he’s a genius.

Then, we hear a ping from his phone indicating that a text is received. His phone is near the window. He stands up to get it. While reading the contents of the text, a sudden sound of glass breaking happened. And when I look at him, he is lying on the floor with a bullet in his head.

Again, I willed myself back in time.

I find myself with him and me sitting on his bed. He’s talking about something and I‌ pretend to listen while I‌ calculate what to do. ‌I didn’t hear any gunshot so it must be a stray bullet. I‌ don’t know how likely it is but I‌ feel like it is not a coincidence anymore. Soon, we hear the ping. He stands up to get it but I‌ stop him. I pull him into the floor.

“Don’t ask any question, just do as I say,” I‌ tell him.

A confused expression is evident on his face but he stays on the floor with me. As it previously happened, we hear the window breaking  but the bullet didn’t hit James this time. I look for the bullet and find it embedded in the wall. Soon,  I hear heavy footsteps going up the stairs. The door suddenly opens and his mom appears.

“What happened?”‌ she asks while James helps me stand up.

“A stray bullet,”‌ I‌ mutter.

“How did you-” he starts to ask.

“Just a feeling,”‌ I say.

“Stray bullet?‌”‌ his mother says frantically. “Are you sure?”‌ she then moves towards the window and peeks outside. “I don’t feel good about this. Maybe we should go to the police.”

We head downstairs and James goes first. Everything happened so fast. He must have missed a step. The next thing I know is that he’s in the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck.

Again, I willed myself back in time.

Everything happened the same way. “Maybe we should go to the police,”‌ his mother says. We start to leave the  room and head downstairs.

“Wait,”‌I say. “Ladies first.”

I take the stairs first, his mother follows me and then  him. And when he missed the step he falls into us. The three of us fell but none of us ended up with a broken neck. ‌I was ready for what’s about to come so the fall wasn’t so bad.

The police came and they were told what happened. They patched up the broken window with planks for now. James decided to stay in the guest room. The police said that it was indeed a stray bullet and that it was teenagers who did it for a prank. They’ve been apprehended.

Nothing much happened after that. No tragedy but I keep watching out for it. I’ve realized what has been happening. James is supposed to die today but I won’t let that happen. I stayed by his side ready to turn back time whatever might happen.

But my mother has been freaking out. She asked me to go home so I‌ did. I‌ told his parents to contact  me right away if anything happens. When 4am came, ‌I called him to make sure he’s okay. He answered the phone and assured me that everything’s fine. We hang up and I‌ try to sleep.

‌A‌ part of me hoped that whatever craziness happened yesterday have come to an end. But no, the news anchor is talking about theories of what might have happened. But I know for sure that the universe is broken. How can one life break the universe this way? Or was it all the time traveling?‌ It should be no big deal, it’s just a minute. Precious minute to save James.

The news anchor then starts to talk about theories on how to fix it. ‌I know what will take to fix it and I will make sure that it doesn’t happen. The universe will be right when things have been set right. That will never happen. I‌ will make sure that James will be alive. The universe be damned.

The news anchor then starts to get frantic. News of a plane’s engine malfunctioning is received.

I knew right away that it’s crashing and I knew where it’s headed.

I try to call him to warn him but there’s no answer. I try again for two more times. I head for our door but it got stuck somehow.

“Help me,”‌I scream to my dad. He gives it a try and after two strong pulls, the door opened.

I head for their house but I don’t make it in time. All I could see was smoke and metal debris everywhere.

I go back in time. This time I try for the back door. Back door is stuck too. Again,‌I don’t make it in time.

I go back again and I‌ trip and my ankle’s broken. I‌ don’t make it in time.

I go back again and again and again. I never make it back in time.

After a while, I was so exhausted that I just crumble down the floor. My eyes are clouded by tears so when the world blurred out around me I just thought  that it’s my tears. But no, something’s happening. Everything went dark.

When I‌ opened my eyes, I’m back to the intersection. James is on the other side of the street smiling at me. He’s distracted but crosses the street anyways. I‌ do nothing but watch as the car hits my boyfriend.

The universe wins.

Tomorrow, the sun will rise in the east and set in the west.