Torn

"Daylight saving times honey! Do not forget!" My mom yells up an me from the level below.

"I will not!" I promise. I never like to change my clock, but in daylight savings, I get to sleep for an extra hour. It will be nice for my teenage self to get some more sleep. I need it. I change my clock for 8:31 to 9:31. Then, I brush my teeth, put on my favorite pajamas, (which have horses on them), and go to bed. I never fall asleep immediately, so I pull out my book, Little Women.

"I've come to thank you Mr.Laurence." Beth said. "For the ever so lovely piano."

"Of course Beth!" Mr.Laurence smiled. "I've been selfish, keeping it here. You remind me of my own daughter, when she used to play. You have true talent."

"Thank you Mr.Laurence." Beth said shyly. Suddenly, Mr.Laurence noticed how red and feverish her skin was, so he put his hand out to her forehead and gasped.

"You're burning up!" Said Mr.Laurence. "We need to get you home!" Little Women is a classic, and is very confusing, but I like it. It gives me a taste of the past. I just hope my past will never change into something different.

"How ever did you get sick Beth?!" Meg hovered over Beth.

"I was at the peasant's house. Their baby had Scarlet Fever. She died in my arms. I didn't know what to do." Meg gasped.

"Scarlet fever? Jo! Mother! Get Amy out, poor Bethy has Scarlet Fever! Amy hasn't had it, she can't get it! Send her away!"

I can never imagine being torn from my family. As I read the pages, my eyes become heavy, and I slowly drift off to sleep.

CRASH! BANG! BOOM! I jerk awake to the sound of some kind of collision. I run to my window, looking over the street. There are two cars twisted like a giant's toys on the ground. They are both smoking. It's like they have fallen from the sky. But that's impossible. No one has invented flying cars, yet. The drivers are getting out yelling curse words at each other. I can hear them through the glass of my window. I sigh and look away. Crashes like those always happen around here. Not my problem.

My eyes catch my clock. It reads 13:12. Wait, what? My best guess is that it's military time. We do not use that. My grandpa taught me about that before he went to war. But that means... It's one in the afternoon! I'm supposed to be at school!

I get dressed, and run down the stairs. I trip over the last one, and land hard on my back.

"Do you need a little help there little star?" Says an old and kind voice. I gasp. That sounds like...No. It can't be. He died, years ago in war. But that is what he always used to call me.

"Grandpa?" I ask.

"Yep?" He answers. "Do you need some help?" He looks just the same as the day he went off to war. I start to scream. My mom runs in from the kitchen.

"Sienna, what is it?" She pants. She has a blue checkered apron on, and is plumper than she used to be. But she despises blue, she doesn't even like to look at the sky.

"You!" I say pointing at her apron. "You hate-" Then I point a finger at my grandpa. "He's-"

"What is it little star?" Grandpa asks. "You're speaking in riddles." His blue eyes twinkle at me, his oversized round glasses perched on his nose.

"You're supposed to be dead!" I shout. He looks taken aback, and looks at my mom.

"Am I?" He asks, like he's not too sure.

"Sienna, he's not supposed to be dead." My mom says firmly. "Unless you say otherwise."

"Where's Dad?" I question. Mom and Grandpa look at their feet, sadly.

"We lost him long ago. In the war." Mom says quietly, and then she stares at me. "You know that. I've told you millions of times. He died on March 2, 2020." I gasp.

"But it is 2020. March 1st." I say.

"Looks like little star has her days confused!" Grandpa laughs. "No, it is March 1st, 2047." He says. I stare at him blankly.

"Not funny you guys. It's 2020. We have the coronavirus going on. Sammy just graduated from college. I'm about to go to high school. I've just gone on a camping trip with my friends Naia, Ada, Mirelle and Larkyn in Silverton. Turtles are dying. We just got a puppy, named Seeker. She has blue eyes. I wanted to go to the democratic debate in Phoenix, but the stupid coronavirus got in the way." I find myself blubbering about everything that is-was- going on in my life.

"Who is Sammy?" My mom asks.

"My brother. Your son. Yea tall and yea wide. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Sammy is short for Samuel, but he hates that name." I answer. "He has so many freckles, you can barley see his skin. He loves soccer and football, and is going to coach me this summer. He has a dairy allergy, because we went to Belize and something in the ice cream made it come out. He got it from Dad!" My voice cracked.

"Sienna, I never had a son. Only you." Mom says softly. "Why don't you go upstairs to your room, you seem a little... disoriented." I do as she says. I am very confused, and disoriented. I just want my old life back.

As I trudge up the stairs, I look through the window. The roads are free of cars. That's weird. On a Tuesday afternoon. The roads should be packed. And then I look up. I found the cars. They are all flying up above my head.

"Flying cars." I murmur. And then I realize it. I'm no longer in my old life. I didn't just skip an hour. I skipped half of my lifetime. My past must have changes. I don't have a brother. I don't have a dad. I have my long lost grandpa. This has changed my past, present and future.