The secrets of time mast.., p.4
The Secrets Of Time Master, page 4
“I can’t just go on living or start over. It’s not easy. I could meet my great grandpa maybe, and explain things to him. But then how can I just go on like that if I get stuck?”
“Brandon…..you’ve got some emotion in you after all…..”
Brandon laughed. “Must you low-key insult me every time? Of course, I have feelings…..do you know how devastating it will be for me psychologically.”
“Have you tried to power the time machine?”
“No…”
“Why not do that first? Go through the manual and see. I feel you may be able to detect any issues that can go wrong.”
“Oh, God.” Brandon groaned.
“I sound like your father, I know…but at least check first. You are a great scientist, Brandon.”
“Okay…….”
That was the end of the conversation for Brandon, and he did all he could to avoid talking about it again with Ryan.
The Demarco’s were staying safe. They had enough food in stock, groceries, and every possible human need. Though they knew they would run out eventually, that wouldn’t happen for months. Many of their employees were dismissed, and only a few staff were left. Nobody left the estate, and nobody was allowed to come in.
Brandon couldn’t see Ryan, and he wished he had told Ryan to come to stay with them before the total lockdown. His mother suggested it, but he didn’t see any reason initially. He was worried if Ryan had enough to eat. Even though his best friend assured him, he still needed to be certain. Ryan lost his parents in a car accident five years previously, and he was the only child. Brandon has been his only family since then.
He was in the living room with his family one day when he got a call from Ryan.
“Hey, what’s up? Honestly, I wish you were here.”
“I have been feeling funny, Brandon,” Ryan said, not sounding like his usual self.
“What do you mean? He asked.
“I don’t know, but I think I may have caught the illness.”
He got up immediately. Heart racing, he clenched his teeth and said, “What do you mean? You can’t know for sure, Ryan. Come off it, please.”
“I’m currently in the hospital in the waiting area awaiting the test result.”
“How could you have gone to the hospital without calling me first? I would have come to pick you up or something?”
Priscilla got up immediately and moved closer to him. His parents turned to him, too, with questions in their eyes.
“I deliberately didn’t call you. I didn’t want to risk you getting infected.“
“I’m coming to the hospital. What hospital?
“No, you are not….stay home, please. I will let you know if the test result is out.”
“Ryan….what hospital?....”
But he had caught the call.
“Ryan…..” he said into the phone. Fear and anxiety gripped him. No, he couldn’t lose his best friend.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ryan thinks he is infected,” he said, emphasizing the “ think “ word refusing to believe his friend was infected.
“Oh my God,” Priscilla said, bringing her hands to her mouth.
“I am sure he isn’t. He will call me back now and say it was a false alarm. You know Ryan is sensitive.”
His family exchanged looks and hoped he was right.
“I hope nothing happens to him,” his mother said with worry in her eyes.
“Nothing will, mother.”
He left for his room and kept on pacing. His sisters joined him, but he saw that Priscilla was more affected. He could see fear and pain in her eyes.
He hoped his best friend would call him and tell him he was fine. This time, he will ensure Ryan comes to his parent’s house. He didn’t know how but he would make it happen.
But Brandon was wrong. Ryan was infected.
He didn’t call back as promised. He only sent a text.
“I am infected, bro. I wonder how I got infected, but I suspect it was the lady who lived next door. She called me and said she wasn’t feeling good. I should have known. I went over to her house to call an ambulance for her. She died two days ago. Currently, in isolation, apparently, you need to have lots of money to get treatment. Usually, when patients test positive, they just keep them in a room to die. It has gotten that bad. The level of infectivity is beyond them. Except you can afford a bed, and the price of a bed is quite absurd. But then I understand them. I just emptied almost half of the money in my account to get a room and a bed. I will rather die comfortably. Brandon, you are not just a friend, you are my brother, and God knows that won’t change for anything. I enjoyed every bit of life with you, the wild you and the intelligent scientist. Lay low on the ladies though in case you survive this, you never know.….. Also, tell Priscilla that if I get to meet her again in another world, I will definitely bear my heart out to her early without waiting foolishly like I did. Tell her I love her, and I have always loved her. I love you, bro, don’t weep. Fight…get that time machine and fight”.
Brandon finished reading it with shaky hands and a pounding heart.
He dialed Ryan’s number, but it was switched off. He became distraught. He knew Ryan switched off his phone deliberately to make him accept reality and the new turn of events. But, the death of this best friend wasn’t a reality he was willing to accept.
He dialed the number three more times, and when he knew, he probably wouldn’t hear from his best friend again. He threw the phone away and fell to the floor.
Priscilla went to pick up the phone and read the message. She had tears rolling down her eyes and looked at the brother, who had his head in his hands. She knew he was crying. She had never seen Brandon weep except when they were kids. She joined Jennifer, who was squatting over Brandon with teary eyes, too, and they pulled him into a group hug.
A week after, he got a call from the hospital.
“Good morning. Is this Brandon Demarco?”
“Yes,” he said weakly. He hadn’t spoken to Ryan in a week and kept hoping his friend would call him back, at least to update him. But he never got a call. He knew Ryan wouldn’t call. He always faced reality. He probably felt consistent conversations would make saying goodbye more painful.
“Your friend Ryan died last night. He told us to contact you in case of his death, and he left a message which said, “Fight, Brandon, fight, I believe in you,” that’s all.”
He choked, “Was his death painful?”
“I’m sorry? What do you mean?”
“Never mind……thank you.”
“His body has been incinerated.”
“Okay” swallowing hard, he hung up.
And the tears flowed freely. For the first time in his life, Brandon cried like a baby. He blamed himself; maybe if he had gone back in time, perhaps if he had told Ryan to come over. His friend will still be here. He also felt he denied his sister the opportunity of being with a good man. The pain was too much for him to bear. The anger and guilt almost made him go crazy.
He wasn’t the only one who mourned the death of his friend. His family did, too. Ryan was like family.
Three days after, he walked into his father’s office.
“Let’s turn on the time machine. I am ready to go back in time.”
This is getting more intense, isn’t it ??
Will Brandon succeed in his quest?
Will he save the world from the claws of this pandemic or will he be stuck in time?..
Find out what happens next in book 3, A Mission To The Past.
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About This Author
Olivia Walker was born and raised in the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio. The youngest of three, Olivia always found the idea of true romance alluring. She watched the love her parents shared and how her siblings found the person of their dreams. Armed with this longing, and an English degree from Ohio State University, Olivia soon turned her attentions to writing. She has written several romance books and wants her readers to be filled with the same warmth she puts into each word. Passionate in all she does, Olivia hopes readers will find the same sensations in reading her books as she experienced writing them.
Olivia is an avid outdoors woman. She enjoys hiking, camping, and has been known to visit a few fishing holes from time to time. After a long day at work, Olivia likes nothing more than throwing on her nicest clothes and heading to the local symphony for a little inspiration. She has dedicated herself to discovering the depths of passion through literature and music to transform them into unique stories that get the heart racing and prove that anything is possible with the right motivation.
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