Sequel to Cause and Effect.
Jessica hated time travel. She never told anyone. Being a time traveler had been Jessica’s destiny since before she was born, and her family never let her forget it. Jessica could never make her own choices.
“Now remember,” Sam reminded Jessica. “Yell ‘Get down!’ the second Daisy takes out the prototype.”
“I’ve got it, Uncle Sam.” Jessica tried very hard to keep from rolling her eyes. They’d been over this a dozen times today.
“This is serious.” Kevin said sternly. A large scar ran from his temple to the bridge of his nose. “The explosion goes off right after Daisy takes out the prototype.”
“Dad, I’ve got it!” Jessica snapped impatiently. Kevin straightened her vest.
“If you don’t-” He began again.
“Dude, she knows what she’s doing.” Mark interjected. Jessica shot him a grateful look. He was the most laid back in her family, and clearly he was getting as bored with the current conversation as she was. Sam and Kevin just looked at each other and shook their heads. They never took him very seriously.
“This is important, Mark.” Sam sighed, while Kevin checked over his daughter’s vest again.
“She can handle it.” Mark ate a handful of popcorn. “If she couldn’t,” he mumbled through a full mouth. “We wouldn’t be here.”
Mark had a point. From their point of view, Jessica had technically already completed this mission. They had told her about this, and her other trips to the past, time and time again. She went back in time to help them on multiple occasions, and they made sure she knew the details to each and every one.
This mission was just like every other one. Jessica was sent into the past, a few years before she was born. From the moment she arrived in the past it was as if she were living out a story she knew by heart; go there, do this, stop the bad guy from killing Sam. Mark, her uncle Mark that is, had once told Jessica she seemed like a superhuman because she always knew exactly what to do to save the day. It was only because Jessica had been told what was going to happen. Jessica often wondered how she would act if she didn’t know; if she weren’t trapped with her destiny as a time traveler. Could she still be a hero? Would she be? Jessica wanted to know.
When Daisy brought out the prototype, Jessica shouted “Get down!” She saw her father, though a much younger version of her father, standing in front of the window. Jessica managed to tackle Kevin to the ground an instant before the explosion. A flying shard of glass sliced her shoulder as they went down. Jessica patched herself up and continued her mission.
When Jessica returned to the future, a much older Daisy frowned at her from the controls. “Were you hurt?”
“Just a scratch.” Jessica assured her. She had been hurt worse than that training.
“Odd…” Daisy looked at her curiously.
“I guess it went well, kiddo?” Kevin called from the next room.
“What do you think?” Jessica asked with a laugh.
“Don’t get cocky.” Kevin walked into the room. Jessica’s jaw dropped in shock. The scar that had graced her father’s face for as long as she could remember was gone. “We’ve got a lot of training to do.” Kevin continued with a grin, oblivious to his daughter’s shock.
“S- sure.” Jessica tried to recover. “Sounds good.” She continued to stare at her father’s face. It was as if the scar had never existed. Maybe… Jessica touched her wound. Maybe it hadn’t.
Maybe she could control her own destiny after all…
Jessica hated time travel. She never told anyone. Being a time traveler had been Jessica’s destiny since before she was born, and her family never let her forget it. Jessica could never make her own choices.
“Now remember,” Sam reminded Jessica. “Yell ‘Get down!’ the second Daisy takes out the prototype.”
“I’ve got it, Uncle Sam.” Jessica tried very hard to keep from rolling her eyes. They’d been over this a dozen times today.
“This is serious.” Kevin said sternly. A large scar ran from his temple to the bridge of his nose. “The explosion goes off right after Daisy takes out the prototype.”
“Dad, I’ve got it!” Jessica snapped impatiently. Kevin straightened her vest.
“If you don’t-” He began again.
“Dude, she knows what she’s doing.” Mark interjected. Jessica shot him a grateful look. He was the most laid back in her family, and clearly he was getting as bored with the current conversation as she was. Sam and Kevin just looked at each other and shook their heads. They never took him very seriously.
“This is important, Mark.” Sam sighed, while Kevin checked over his daughter’s vest again.
“She can handle it.” Mark ate a handful of popcorn. “If she couldn’t,” he mumbled through a full mouth. “We wouldn’t be here.”
Mark had a point. From their point of view, Jessica had technically already completed this mission. They had told her about this, and her other trips to the past, time and time again. She went back in time to help them on multiple occasions, and they made sure she knew the details to each and every one.
This mission was just like every other one. Jessica was sent into the past, a few years before she was born. From the moment she arrived in the past it was as if she were living out a story she knew by heart; go there, do this, stop the bad guy from killing Sam. Mark, her uncle Mark that is, had once told Jessica she seemed like a superhuman because she always knew exactly what to do to save the day. It was only because Jessica had been told what was going to happen. Jessica often wondered how she would act if she didn’t know; if she weren’t trapped with her destiny as a time traveler. Could she still be a hero? Would she be? Jessica wanted to know.
When Daisy brought out the prototype, Jessica shouted “Get down!” She saw her father, though a much younger version of her father, standing in front of the window. Jessica managed to tackle Kevin to the ground an instant before the explosion. A flying shard of glass sliced her shoulder as they went down. Jessica patched herself up and continued her mission.
When Jessica returned to the future, a much older Daisy frowned at her from the controls. “Were you hurt?”
“Just a scratch.” Jessica assured her. She had been hurt worse than that training.
“Odd…” Daisy looked at her curiously.
“I guess it went well, kiddo?” Kevin called from the next room.
“What do you think?” Jessica asked with a laugh.
“Don’t get cocky.” Kevin walked into the room. Jessica’s jaw dropped in shock. The scar that had graced her father’s face for as long as she could remember was gone. “We’ve got a lot of training to do.” Kevin continued with a grin, oblivious to his daughter’s shock.
“S- sure.” Jessica tried to recover. “Sounds good.” She continued to stare at her father’s face. It was as if the scar had never existed. Maybe… Jessica touched her wound. Maybe it hadn’t.
Maybe she could control her own destiny after all…
A friend commented that Jessica was very Mary Sue in Cause and Effect. I realized that Jessica probably would be since she was from the future and she knew the people that she was going back in time to help. They actually trained her, so they would have told her exactly what to do.
Artist Trading Card: The Bonds of Destiny
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